A Jedi in Azeroth
by Ragingcyclone
Summary: This is a crossover story centered around my character from SWTOR and a friend's from WoW. Daneel is a jedi master who through a freak accident arrives on Azeroth and meets Demira, a sin'dorei mage. They meet, fall in love, and find themselves mixed in an adventure on Azeroth with ties to Daneel's home galaxy. This is not a "who would beat who in a fight" kind of story.
1. The Arrival

**A Jedi in Azeroth**

**_Part One: The Arrival_**

Daneel leaned in his chair as the ship lurched to starboard. Sparks flew from the consoles and acrid smoke began filling the air. He could hear a fire crackling aft of the bridge. Deckplates groaned as stresses from gravitic shockwaves pounded the small vessel. An anomaly engulfed the viewport ahead of him and was the source of the ship's erratic behavior. Inwardly the Jedi master was grateful he had left his companions behind for this trip…one that was supposed to be simple and without incident. A routine diplomatic mission to Belsavis to help Hollow Voice reach the other Esh-Ka who had not joined in their effort to end the war with the Sith Empire. The elder leader's hope was to join the renegade people of his race to the "harmony" of the Republic. Skyhopper, as Daneel was known as amongst the Esh-Ka, was a powerful example of how other races could help the Esh-Ka according to Hollow Voice. It had sounded daunting but hardly dangerous…until the maelstrom emerged from nothingness near Daneel's ship pulling it from hyperspace. He struggled to gain control of the Defender and hopefully escape the grip of the monstrosity looming before him. A kaleidoscope of colors rimmed the outer edge of the anomaly belying its ferocity. The plates continued to buckle beneath him as the ship lurched violently to the port. Daneel prepared himself to become one with the Force…survival from this did not seem possible unless a truly rare event occurred. The ship lurched again and plunged deeper towards the maw of the anomaly. Lights blinked out on the control panel before him, and the ship's engines grew quiet. He was heading into a torrential abyss of violent energy…and he was helpless. He reached out through the Force…and then everything went black.

* * *

The Sin'dorei walked in the peaceful grove searching for lost relics of Azeroth's past. The planet had a rich and tumultuous history, and Professor Demira often looked for her treasures in remote places. Almost anywhere in the world lost relics could be found. It was just this morning she left her friend Zharn near Mt. Hyjal where he was helping the ancients. Zharn was an orc, and like her people members of the Horde. The shaman was helping in the best way that he could, and she had returned to this forest to search for relics that might help her in her own quest. She stopped to pick up a flower and examined it. She wore her dark hair in a long braid which only highlighted her slender elven ears. Unlike most mages she wore simple red pants with a matching top baring her midriff. She continued walking slowly as she examined the flower with her glowing green eyes.

The grove was just a smaller part of a larger forest she had come to. This place was near a village she visited often…a place so far largely untouched by the conflict between the Horde and the Alliance. Faint magical energies existed in this area hinting at a past wrought with struggle and power. She hoped to find some indication as to who lived here, when this place was teaming with life, and what had changed to make them leave this tranquil region. And it was a chance to leave the larger current conflict behind. She had seen her share of the war…participated in many of the major events and battles which shaped Azeroth as it existed currently. Today…she just wanted to get away from it all…and this grove was the perfect place to do just that. She stopped in an opening still holding the delicate flower in her hand. She breathed deep inhaling its fragrance.

A clap of thunder disturbed the normal quiet of the forest. The mage peered skyward searching for the source of the noise. When she had left the village earlier that morning there were no clouds in the sky, and she had not seen any during her trek through the serene woods. In fact everything this morning had been peaceful. A slight breeze rustled the leaves of the trees and billowy grasses. Small creatures scurried about their lives unafraid of anything including her intrusion into their environment. Still no clouds occupied the skies, but her eyes widened at what she did see. A trail of fire streaked from the heavens towards the ground. She could hear the rumble of the flames as it came closer, and to her dismay she realized it would impact not far from her. Instinctively she searched her surroundings for some sort of cover…some sort of protection from the flames and whatever they were burning that was falling from the sky. She could sense the panic in the forest creatures around her as they too sensed a danger and ran for whatever cover they could find.

At first she thought the fireball could be a dragon, but that race had been quiet since the demise of Deathwing. None of the former Aspects or their flights had any reason to be near this part of the world. As Demira watched it fall she tried to think of what it could be for she had seen many strange things in her short life…at least short for a Sin'dorei. Its angle was too steep and high for a skyship…and much too large. A meteor perhaps…its flight path in the sky told her it could be such a thing, but those events usually foretold of more urgent and deadly events soon to occur. Her heart filled with dread. After the return of the Burning Legion, the Lich King and the Scourge, and even the recent Cataclysm…Azeroth could not withstand another catastrophe. As these thoughts raced through her mind she found an outcropping of rocks. She was convinced they would not protect her should the falling object hit very near but might provide cover from any debris should the falling object land a short distance away. She dug the heels of her boots into the soft dirt and ran for all speed she could muster. The roar was getting louder and she chanced a glance over her shoulder. It was close…too close…and she instinctively dove to the ground and covered her head with her hands. The sound was deafening and she could feel the heat from the flames. She should have felt panicked, but instead curiosity took over and she peeked through her cover to spy the falling object. It was a hundred feet above and would not land on her. She started to rise and watched as the object landed perhaps a mile away. Whatever it was hit with such force that there was a blinding light and a few seconds later the shockwave hit knocking her to her back. Her head struck the ground hard…and darkness took over.

* * *

Daneel stood on the cliff and watched the fireball fall from the sky. He was certain it was his ship, but how it had followed him through the journey he could not fathom. He was not even sure of where he was. As the ship began to tear apart in the strain of the maelstrom in space he remembered a final lesson from the Jedi master Revan when they met after the former's rescue from the Emperor's prison and before that man himself disappeared. The three centuries old master had taught Daneel one technique very few Force wielders knew…and for good reason. It allowed one to fold space using the Force transporting the person from one point in the galaxy to another without actually moving. The travel was instantaneous, but the costs were unknown. It was why so few knew the technique in the first place. The dangers were too unknown and too erratic so the old masters of the Order had deemed the knowledge unusable. Revan was once a Jedi then Sith and then neither. He was not bound by the tenets of the Jedi Order or its code. Daneel would not have used it himself had the situation he faced had not been so dire. Watching the wreckage fall now through the sky towards the surface, he had second thoughts about his own use of the precarious and ancient technique. Perhaps the old masters were correct in sealing the knowledge of this power and banning its usage. Even the Sith, or for that matter even the ancient Rakata, would hesitate with consequences such as what he was witnessing.

The ship's wreckage impacted the surface a few miles from where he stood. Almost a minute later the shockwave hit him. Bracing himself with the Force he was able to withstand the impact upon his body. He shook his head…and reached out through the Force. Hopefully no life was extinguished when the ship collided with the ground. Saving himself at the cost of other lives was not his intent nor was it the Jedi way. He smiled as he welcomed the embrace of life around him. He sensed none had come to permanent harm from the explosion. Daneel marveled at how different the Force felt to him on this world. This world teemed with life. The living Force flowed around him and through him…it was invigorating. He felt no influence of the dark side on this world, nor did he sense an abundance of the light side…just the living Force generated by all living things. He sensed it in every thing around him…including the rocks beneath his feet. Never had he felt the Force so fully before, and he was a master of the Jedi Order and one of its council members. But still while it was comforting and exhilarating it was also…different…in a way he could not quite describe. In all of his travels to all of the different worlds of the galaxy…this one was unique. After another moment of contemplation, he used the Force to help him traverse down the side of the small mountain on which he was standing. He needed to reach the wreckage and salvage what he could. He did not hope to find much, but anything he could find would be of great benefit since he was assuredly stuck on this world for an indefinite time. He was not even sure if this world had any intelligent life.

At the base of the mountain he found an animal trail that lead in the direction of the crashed ship. The foliage was dense here with shades of blues and purples. At least he perceived them that way through the Force for he had no physical eyes with which to see. Daneel was a Miraluka…a race which looked outwardly human with the exception of the lack of eyes. He wore a metallic covering over the sockets where eyes would have been as was the custom of his race when in the presence of other species. They did this because non-Miralukas were discomforted by the empty eye sockets. Daneel followed the trail for about a mile before coming to a small clearing. Despite the presence of life in the Force he had not yet come across any. Perhaps the crash had scared the local wildlife away from the area. A possibility that while disconcerting to him, Daneel felt there would be no lasting effect to the native environment. On the far side of the clearing was an outcropping of rocks, and he walked towards them for some shade from the sun and perhaps to meditate and get his bearings in the Force.

* * *

Demira watched from the behind the rocks as the human approached. What was a human, or any Alliance, doing in this part of the world? He was slender for a human and wore robes in a fashion she had not seen before. They were purple and blue with a hood that covered the top of his head but not his face. What was stranger was the fact that the only metal he wore was over his eyes. He did have a weapon of some sort at his hip, but she could see no blade as would befit a sword or dagger, just a smooth metal cylinder the size of a sword hilt. There was not open hostility between the two factions at present, but she decided to take a chance to step from behind the rock keeping a mental list of spells in case her instinct was wrong. "Who are you, human? And why have you come here?" she asked. He looked at her with a slight tilt to his head as he came to a stop. He replied in a language she had never heard. "Who are you?" she repeated.

He tilted his head to the other side and spoke again in his strange tongue. He then brought his hands up in front of him…palms facing her and fingers spread upwards. She crouched instinctively recognizing the man might be casting a spell. She inwardly cursed not thinking at first the man might be a mage. Had the Alliance sent this man as a spy? Did he have something to do with the falling object from the sky? His reaction to her movement was to take one step back and push his arms forward. She whispered a protection spell to ward off whatever spell he was casting, but nothing came from him. Instead he kept talking in his strange language. "I warn you," she began, "I am a mage as well and this is a fight you do not want."

The man lowered his arms to his sides and smiled. "I apologize for any misunderstanding," he said. "I mean you no harm." She relaxed a little at the tone of his voice. Few humans knew the Sin'dorei language. He seemed rather…refined…for a human. "I am new to your world, and it took me a little while to learn your language."

"Learn my…language?" she asked. Such an odd statement, she thought. She did not trust this man…could not trust him. He was human but claimed to be from another world. That was not possible. Azeroth had many humans and his strange language before could simply mean he was from a part of the world she was not familiar with. Were there humans not part of the Alliance? Was he a member of the Earthen Ring? She did not think so because of his strange language. She remained cautious. "I do not believe you, human," Demira finally said.

"There are humans on this world?" the man asked her. "Is this planet a colony? It is not familiar to me as being any world of either the Republic or the Sith Empire."

"Are you mad, human?" she asked. This talk of republic and empire made no sense to her. There was the Horde and the Alliance…she knew of no other factions that would even have colonies as he was suggesting. He was talking gibberish and must be mad. "Humans are of the Alliance…and you are a human. I am a child of the blood…a blood elf…and of the Horde. Why are you here?" There was a strained peace now between the Horde and the Alliance…she would not be the first to draw blood and start a new war, but she would defend herself.

"I am no human," he replied with a smile. "I admit in appearance my species looks human…to a certain point. But believe me…I am not human." She tilted her head to the side. He most definitely was human according to her eyes. This had to be an Alliance trick. Despite his pleasant demeanor she grew wearier of him. "I am a Miraluka," he continued. "We are similar to humans in many aspects except one."

"And what would that one be?" she asked curious as to how much longer this human would attempt his ruse. For this had to be a trick on the part of the man…any other explanation was too outlandish for her to conceive.

He reached up with his hands to his face and the metal covering over his eyes. She tensed half expecting him to cast a spell at her. He smiled. "You will find this…a little disconcerting. Most species do…which is why my people wear these adornments, but I can tell by the tone of your voice that you do not believe me. Seeing is the act of believing." He removed the covering from his face. Demira gasped at what she saw…or the lack of what she saw. Where his eyes should have been was…nothing! She cautiously stepped closer to him forgetting her previous trepidations about this man…or his connection to the Alliance. Surely this human's eyes had been removed and the skin healed over the sockets. But as she stepped even closer she could see no scars…no indication that this man had ever had eyes. She found herself waving her hand before the empty eye sockets.

"Please don't do that," he said with a smile.

"Don't do…what?"

"Wave your hand in front of my face. I am not blind…I just do not have eyes. Like the rest of my people I was born without them."

"Preposterous!" she exclaimed. "You must be hearing my hand…or feel the brush of air…"

"My people do not need eyes to see…we see through the Force," he replied as he placed the covering back over the sockets. "My people have an affinity with the Force which allows us to see more clearly than those born with sight organs."

"What is this force you speak of?" she asked. "You are a mage…are you not?"

"I…do not know what a mage is," he replied. "I am a Jedi."

"A…jidei?"

"Yes…a Jedi. Please…can you tell me the name of this world?"

The man was strange indeed, but his manners were not threatening and he was pleasant enough despite the whole missing eyes thing. Still…he talked strangely, but she began to believe this man was not a member of the Alliance. Yet she remained cautious…he was definitely not Sin'dorei…or a member of the Horde. She was convinced he was human, but still… He cleared his throat. Oh…he had asked a question. Her thoughts must have wondered, and again she cursed inwardly for her lack of concentration. "Azeroth," she answered.

"Azeroth…I do not know this name. I don't remember seeing it on any of the astrogation charts. Interesting."

"What's an…astro…ga…"

"Astrogation?" he queried. He tilted his head at her. "Perhaps it might help you understand better if we found the wreckage of my ship. Surely you saw it crash not far from here."

"There was a fireball," she conceded. He claimed it was a ship and from another world…not from Azeroth. Could this man be telling her the truth? It would explain his strange language and mannerisms…and the creepy eye thing. The orcs were not originally from this world…and the Draenei were also not from Azeroth. And she had seen and heard stranger things in recent years. "It landed about a mile from here."

He started to take a step…then stopped. "Perhaps you would join me? I would like to learn more about your world. You could tell me more about it on the way to the crash site. And then once there perhaps I can explain more about myself that can make more sense to you." Again he smiled.

"I will…but be warned…I am not a helpless sin'dorei," she said coolly.

"Ah…is that your name?"

"Sin'dorei is the name of my people…my name," she hesitated. Should she give this stranger her name just yet? Was she sure she could trust him? He had spoken the truth to her so far as she could fathom even as preposterous as it was…she sensed no deception from him. "I will tell you once we have seen your ship."

"Fair enough," he replied with a smile. Again with that smile. "My name is Daneel….Jedi master and member of the Jedi Council. It is a pleasure to meet you…emissary of the Sin'dorei people." He was definitely strange. Demira motioned for him to begin walking towards the crash site.

She walked a little behind him, and Daneel felt her reaction perfectly reasonable. Their initial encounter intrigued him. She spoke a language he was completely unfamiliar with, and during their initial spoken words he had reached out through the Force to touch her mind. He did not want to damage her, but he needed to grasp her language to better facilitate communication. He did not linger longer than was necessary to garner the nuances of her speech, but what he noticed about her was fascinating. Her mind was unlike any other he encountered. She was highly intelligent and the Force flowed differently through her than it did any other person or creature in his experiences. During their conversation he sensed at first her confusion and fear…and then curiosity. She also did not trust him. He would not either if their roles had been reversed. She at least was not outwardly violent which was promising. And he sensed from her a closeness to her environment similar to that held by Hollow Voice and his followers.

* * *

The trek to the crash site was not an easy one. The ship impacted in the forest at the bottom of a ravine. There were also two small streams to cross. Demira was impressed with the sure footedness this stranger possessed since she still could not understand how he saw his way through the woods. He stepped gingerly over fallen branches and rocks along the trail, followed game trails when they were available and even balanced better than she when crossing one stream along a fallen tree. Had she not seen with her own eyes his rather unique condition Demira would not have believed the man blind by the common definition of the word. Another fascinating thing was that he made his way directly to the crashed ship. She was using the sight of the smoke as a guide, but this jidei never looked up instead walking almost directly as the woods allowed.

They finally walked into a clearing in the trees created by the crash. Demira's eyes widened at the devastation she witnessed. She expected to see…something…in a crater and in a smaller area. What she saw instead was a long and wide swath through the forest. Small fires lined a crevice that was perhaps ten feet deep, fifty feet across, and ended beyond her line of sight. She let out a long breath not realizing she was holding it in. Beside her the man sighed as well. Large chunks of metal and some material she did not recognize were scattered along the trench and in the trees surrounding it. Some of the debris was small, but there were also pieces as large as a house. The jedi walked up to one of the larger pieces and reached towards it. As he did his head was turned as if he were looking for the end of the trench.

"This is one of the engines," he stated. "It must have sheared off on impact with the ground. I have not seen any other wreckage beyond this track. With luck," he turned to her and smiled, "the rest of the ship may be mostly intact."

The Sin'dorei only nodded and watched the jedi continue to examine the debris. Her mind was still trying to imagine the size of the vessel this being had come in. "How many engines did your ship have?" she asked. At first the man did not answer her; instead he walked further along the trail of the downed ship stopping a few times to examine bits and pieces of the ship's remains. She wondered just how many of these engines the ship did have. If the first was any indication of the size of the vessel it could be larger than even the dragon Aspects themselves…perhaps even larger than the leviathan Deathwing. She was about to ask him her question again when he stopped and looked into the trees to their right. His right hand came down to the cylinder on his left hip, and he pulled the hilt-sized object out as if holding a sword…one with no blade. Demira tensed.

"I sense we are not alone," the jedi said calmly. "The being I sense is not like you. We must be cautious."

Demira tensed. There had been no signs of danger in the area as she walked the forest that morning. However… "There have been reports of night elf spies in the area," she stated. In her mind she brought forth several spells ready to use should there indeed be spies in the area. She hoped that who this jidei sensed was instead one of her people coming to investigate the crash.

"What is a night elf?" Daneel asked.

"They are a species of elves aligned to the Alliance. They are our…" the word hanging. Were they enemies? Surely there was no open war between the Alliance and the Horde at the present, but tensions between the two factions were high. How could she tell this stranger what they were in a way that he would understand? Despite there being spies scattered on their land, the sin'dorei also had their own spies in Alliance territories. And how would she further explain the night elves. The animosity between the two races shared that went deeper than Alliance and Horde. The arrow that whizzed by the jidei's ear provided the distraction she was searching for while she tried to summon some sort of plausible answer to his question. There was an audible snap and hiss coming from the direction of the Miraluka, and her eyes widened in shock. The metal cylinder still in his hand now had a green blade! The sword…for that was all she could think it could be…glowed and hummed. She felt energy radiate from it. Although it was apparently a weapon it was unlike any she had ever seen or heard of. He then reached out with his free hand almost faster than she could see, and from the air he snatched a second arrow from the air.

"Primitive," the jedi stated calmly, "but still deadly."

He dropped the arrow to the ground and stretched out his hand with fingers flayed in the direction the projectile had come from. She saw ripples in the air form before his hand. They churned faster and started to glow. In a matter of seconds a ball of energy formed in the air before his hand, and with what looked like a slight push hurled towards their attacker. It struck the trees a short distance away. Dirt, branches, and leaves joined other debris as the energy ball struck its target. Still stunned, Demira stood and watched the jedi walk forward. The strange sword still glowed with the green blade. He stopped a few yards from the trees and stretched his free arm again. His palm flat, he lifted his arm and then pulled it towards him as if pulling an object. From the trees a being emerged. The body was limp and arms dangled towards the ground while it moved through the air towards the jedi. She gasped as she recognized the male sin'dorei as one of the hunters from the nearby village. Dread filled her heart at the realization that the stranger had killed one of her own.

"I know him!" she exclaimed suddenly. "You killed him!"

"He is not dead," the jedi replied without looking at her. The comatose body came closer. "I did not form an attack to kill…only to incapacitate."

The body stopped just before them and then lowered gently to the ground. Demira ran to the side of her fellow sin'dorei and knelt beside him. He was still breathing, and as she searched his body she could find no outward injuries. She looked up at the Jedi. The strange blade still glowed at his side and he looked towards the trees trying to sense any more attackers.

"This is not the one I sensed earlier. Do you know why he would have attacked?" the jedi asked. Demira shook her head and continued to examine the Miraluka. His blade still glowed to his side, and he looked out into the trees. "This one felt…strange. He is obviously of your kind, but he does not feel the same as you do. He almost feels like…" Daneel's voice trailed off.

"Like what?" she asked looking up at him.

He did not answer at first instead still examining the woods. She gaped as the green blade slid back into the hilt, and the humming ceased. He straightened and placed the hilt back on his waist. "You have a strong presence in the Force as do most sentient life forms in my experience. Birds, animals, fish, and other wild beasts feel differently…more primal. This one that attacked…and please do not take this as demeaning…felt like a wild beast and not a sentient being." He looked down at her. "The other presence felt as you do…a sentience…but has left the area. I no longer sense its presence."

"I assure you this elf is not beast." Demira stood…anger filling her at the insult this jidei leveled at one of her own people. "He is a respected hunter in my village."

"I am sorry, as I said he felt like one in the Force. That does not mean I think that he is one. All living things exist in the Force and their presence can be felt by those sensitive to it…those like me. The Force is generated by the energy of all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us and binds the galaxy together. Some beings have a stronger presence than others in the Force. Tell me…what is the difference between the two of you? I mean other than I am guessing you are a female and he is a male?"

Demira felt her anger waning. His talk of this force was strange, but it was also a very fundamental part of his belief system…whatever that may be. "I am a woman…and he is a man…that much is correct. As for what makes us different…there are lots of things. But he is no beast or should be mistaken as one."

"I mean," Daneel started bringing his hand to his chin, "you mentioned before you were a…mage I believe the word was. Is this man also a…mage?"

"He is a ranger," Demira answered. "He does not wield magic as I do."

"This magic…can you show me?" the jedi asked. She nodded and held her hand before her. She whispered, and as she did a small ball of fire materialized above her fingers. "Interesting," Daneel stated. "And that whispering…what does it mean?"

"I was casting the spell to make this ball of fire," the mage replied.

"And to use this magic…does all of it require these spells?"

"Most," she answered. "There are some mages who have learned to wield magic without speaking the spell, but those are very few and very powerful. Shamans can also cast magics, but they do so by calling upon the spirits of the elements. Druids call upon the forces of nature."

"So even if this man spoke the words of the spell…he could not create the ball of flame as you did?" Demira nodded her answer. "Then that is the answer to the riddle. I sense you differently because you are a mage. This man is not like most creatures of the wild. In the Force he feels the same because he cannot wield magic. So I would surmise the other I sensed was also a mage." Daneel dropped his hand to his side and looked back along the track of the wrecked ship. "This could pose a challenge."

"How so?" she asked not quite understanding the majority of what the jidei had been saying. She only gathered that he sensed mages and magic wielders differently from most beings.

"Because if mages, druids, and shamans are as common as other Force sensitives…which is small compared to the larger population…then there could be an army not far away and I would not sense them any differently than if they were a herd of grazing animals. This is…most unexpected…and troubling. Perhaps I have been affected from the fold through space to come here and my connection to the Force has altered. It feels the same, but still…" his voice trailed off.

"Still?" Demira asked. He looked at her. "Still…what?"

"I…I do not know," he answered. "I simply…do not know."

"Well…we cannot just leave him like this," Demira stated. She whistled and from nothing a large scorpion appeared. She heard the snap-hiss of the jidei's weapon, and she turned to hold the stranger off. "Do not be alarmed. This is just one of my mounts. He will take the ranger back to his village where his injuries can be tended to by the healers there."

"You…ride this…creature?" Daneel asked.

She nodded and maneuvered the ranger's body onto the back of the scorpion. After securing him as best she could, she leaned forward and whispered to the arachnid. Soon it sped from their sight bearing the injured ranger back to his home. She wiped her hands together and perused the jedi who still had his weapon in hand, but the green blade had vanished yet again. As much as she had wanted to take the ranger back herself, she still was curious about this stranger but not trusting enough to take him anywhere yet. Her great ride would know what to do with the injured sin'dorei. "What is that?" she asked pointing at the jedi's weapon.

"It is my lightsaber," he replied still watching after the long gone scorpion. Slowly he clipped the hilt back onto his belt and turned to face the elf. "A traditional weapon of a jedi…its blade is pure energy." He looked back towards the trail of the ship wreckage. "Only a person fully trained in the Force can make and wield such a weapon. To wield one shows others where I come from an affinity with the Force." He paused for a few breaths. "Are you sure that man will be alright?"

"Safer than he was with you," she replied as she began walking towards their previous destination. She was curious to see the ship. It had to be at least as strange as the man's weapon.

"He attacked us," Daneel protested following in step beside the mage.

"He attacked you," Demira stated not looking at him.

"Why would he attack me?"

"Because you're human," Demira replied. She heard him stop. She turned to look at him. "What I mean is…you look human. He probably thought you were attacking me…so…he was defending me…from you."

"But why would he think that? I was not threatening you…we were not arguing…what possible reason could he have to think I was attacking you?"

"It's…complicated," she stated thinking about how much she should reveal to this man. True that he had not been threatening to her. Quite the opposite in that he thought they were both being attacked. She could see now that he was trying to protect her even though she did not need it. Despite his appearance this man was someone who would protect those near him…his allies. He would be a great addition to the Horde…that was…if he was not an Alliance spy. She was not entirely sure where this man's allegiance lay, but for the time being she felt he was trustworthy simply by his actions. He still looked at her with a quizzical expression. "Remember I mentioned the Horde and Alliance?" he nodded to her. "Well…the two groups are split upon racial lines. Orcs, trolls, forsaken, tauren, and my people make up the bulk of the Horde. Humans, dwarves, draenei, and night elves make up the bulk of the Alliance races."

"There are that many sentient species on this world? Or is this across many worlds?" Daneel asked.

"There are more races, but those are the main ones," Demira replied. "And all on Azeroth. I know the orcs and draenei come from other worlds, but I do not understand how they came to be on Azeroth…only that they are here now."

"Fascinating," Daneel said.

"How so?"

"There is an old belief that states in the age before spaceflight if two sentient species developed on the same world they would eventually war with each other until one enslaved the other or destroyed each other in mutual annihilation. This war you speak of…divided along racial lines…would seem to prove that old belief to a certain extent."

"And you think this is what our war is? A struggle to see who can destroy or enslave the others?" Demira asked accusingly.

"Not quite," Daneel replied still walking and examining bits of the ship's wreckage. "I have never heard of so many species originating on one world. It would appear on the surface that the old belief is correct." He stopped to look at her causing her to stop with him. "However, another thing that may make things different is this magic you have…and others do not. Your lines may be split along racial lines now, but the danger is that eventually it may split on lines of those with magic…and power…and those who do not have it."

"How can you know that?" Demira asked. "You just got here according to your story. You make that kind of statement without knowing anything of this world…or its people. How very arrogant." She turned and started walking.

Daneel followed a step behind her. "I apologize if that sounded wrong to you. I have just seen evidence of just this kind on many worlds."

"And just how many worlds have you been to?" She didn't think it could matter, but she was curious. She wasn't really upset, but irritated he could make such a statement that she herself saw the reasoning behind…something she really did not like. Only in her experience the ones with the power were the Old Gods trying to escape their millennia long prison…one created by the Titans. They had been the cause of so much suffering on Azeroth…and behind the corruption of many powerful beings like Deathwing. But this stranger…one claiming to be from another world no less…could know nothing about that struggle or its impact on Azeroth today. Nor did he know just how close her people came to extinction. She was of a people who just mere years before were almost annihilated…ninety percent of her race killed…in one of Azeroth's many wars. Since that time the sin'dorei deeply hated the Alliance for abandoning them. Many of her people had become insular seeking ways to harness arcane magic from sources other than demons…a source readily available after the destruction of the Well of Eternity which had been the focal arcane force for the elves millennia ago. The act of feeding off of demons, and their fel energy, had led to the glowing green eyes of the blood elves today much akin to the changing of the orcs from being of brown skin color to green. There were some sin'dorei, like her, who actually enjoyed being with the other races of the Horde. Two of her closest friends, Zharn and Kitali, were not sin'dorei. Zharn was an orc and Kitali a Pandaren, and they were shamans. Their influence was why she looked for artifacts and magical energies in natural surroundings. She did not like dealing with demons.

"I have been to several hundred," came the jedi's reply. "But even more striking was a war over twenty-five thousand years ago between two races from different worlds. Their hatred for each other was so deep that their war threatened millions of worlds, trillions of lives, and the entire galaxy. That war ended when one race, the Rakata, imprisoned the other, the Esh-Ka. But the remaining Esh-Ka are still alive today…their prisons keeping them alive all this time and aware of everything happening in the galaxy…while the Rakata are few and almost extinct. Twenty-five thousand years…and the Esh-Ka have escaped…and most of them want to rekindle that ages old war…only now with those of us members of the younger species." She stopped but he continued walking. "That old belief has roots in very tangible evidence. I have found ruins of the Rakata on many different worlds all across the galaxy…and only one for the Esh-Ka. That world was their prison. But not all of the Esh-Ka seek to end all of the other races. One great Esh-Ka…his name is Hollow Voice…is a visionary amongst his people. He believed that all races could live in harmony and peace. I sought him to aid the Republic in its war with the Sith Empire. It was the same kind of peace and harmony embodied by the Republic he sought long ago for his people that he agreed to aid me in my mission. The war is officially over, but the tensions still are high…a sort of cold war exists now. Hollow Voice wants harmony for his people…all of them. I was hoping to carry his message to the rest of his race trapped on Belsavis, but I guess that will not happen now. My mission has failed…and the hatred will still burn brightly." He stopped walking a few yards ahead of the mage.

Demira was staring at him in almost disbelief. He said hundreds of worlds…trillions of lives…numbers she could not even fathom. Rakata and Esh-Ka? And some were still alive? Prisoners for millennia? For longer than Aspects had been in existence? Older than the elves before the sundering? These were thoughts she struggled to grasp. Daneel looked wistfully into the trees. His mission of peace was a failure? He was a peacekeeper? Demira could hardly believe what he was saying, but with the conviction of his words…the tone of his voice…one of sadness and…dare she say it…wisdom? He was a stranger to Azeroth, but if his story was true…and she started believing him more and more because it was so preposterous and complicated that nobody could have created such a lie…perhaps he was not jumping to conclusions. Was her world heading for demise? The dragon Aspect Ysera believed one was coming if the rumors were true. "I am sorry," she said quietly.

"Why should you be sorry?" Daneel asked. "I am the stranger to this world. I must sound like some insane…whatever," he said shrugging his shoulders.

She walked up behind him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "I am called Demira," she said with a smile. "Now let me tell you of my world… and how frighteningly close to the truth you are."

* * *

Daneel sat on a stump as Demira told him of her lifetime and the horrors she had faced. The Titans and the Old Gods…the Elementals…the Dragon Aspects…the Ancients and the Sundering thousands of years ago…how the blood elves and night elves at one time were of the same race separated by the destruction of the Well of Eternity…the arrival of the orcs and the beginning of the Horde…the Scourge and how the Alliance had abandoned her race to die…ninety percent slain…and his heart reached out to this beautiful woman as she continued her tale of sorrow. But it was not all sad…she was a happy person despite all she had gone through. Like most of her people she struggled with addiction to arcane energies. It was a result of her people's separation from the Well over ten thousand years before. Some time since then many had found themselves driven to seek such power from demons who he understood as beings that sought dominance over the other races…and corrupted those they seduced with fel energies with high costs. He was not sure if his assumption was correct, but it was what he would understand for the time being and until he learned more. Those fel energies from the demons had marked her species with green glowing eyes that continued long afterwards.

Demira herself was actually about the same age as he though many of her people lived for centuries and some for millennia. She was more of a free spirit and not as close to nature as he at first surmised, but had lately come to appreciate it more because of her friends who where shamans and close to nature themselves…a product of their gifts in magic as far as Daneel could understand. She was patient with him as he asked questions about the arcane and other magics. These intrigued him as on the surface they seemed similar to the Force yet profoundly different. The elements and spirits she described to him could be the reason the Force felt so differently…and why some beings also registered as simple creatures and not sentient beings as he was used to…something he would have to learn to adapt in his methods and use of the Force. Demira was also curious about the Force, and he tried to answer her as best he could. As much as he was confused about magic, she was just as confused about the Force. They sat and talked for hours sharing their experiences…each fascinated by the other. They found that the more they differed…the more they were similar….kindred spirits from different worlds…and a strong friendship grew between them in a short span of time.

Finally they made their way to the main body of the wrecked ship. It was mostly intact, but the inside was hard to navigate. He told her to wait outside while he searched for the navicomputer. Hoping to find the unit intact, he searched the smoldering remains of the bridge.

"You came to Azeroth in this?" he heard Demira ask behind him.

"I thought I told you to wait outside. It's dangerous in here."

"I couldn't resist," she replied coyly. She peered around the bridge. "I mean…a real ship from another world…amazing!"

"Well…try to not touch anything…alright? There are electrical connections that might be severed and touching the wrong place could get you electrocuted." He turned his attention back to his search for the navicomputer. "And I wasn't exactly onboard when it entered the atmosphere."

"Yeah…but still…you flew in this thing from world to world like you were telling me? That would be so…cool!" She reached out and touched one of the control panels. "Ouch!" she exclaimed as sparks jumped. She stuck her burnt finger in her mouth and looked innocently at the jedi. "Sorry."

Daneel sighed and touched a panel to his left. The controls lit up on the board. "I think I found the navcomp…and it still has power."

"And the astrogation charts you were looking for?" Demira asked.

"Precisely," he replied. "Now…if I can just…get this…" He turned a couple of knobs and in the central console a holographic map of the swirling galaxy appeared. Demira gasped as he examined the records coming from the computer. "I was afraid of this," he said after a few minutes.

"What is that?" Demira asked pointing at the hologram.

"It's a representation of the galaxy…or I should say the galaxy I came from," Daneel replied.

"Came from?"

"As in…this is not the same galaxy," Daneel stated with a sigh. "The navicomputer has confirmed what I have been sensing for a while now." He turned and left the bridge to leave the ship the way he came in. Demira followed him making sure not to touch anything else as she left the wreckage. "Azeroth is in a different galaxy than the one I called home," he stated once they were back outside the ship. "I am…for lack of a better phrase…completely lost."

"But didn't you say the galaxy has millions of worlds? Are you sure?" the sin'dorei asked.

"The galaxy does have millions of worlds, and many are unexplored. I was hoping Azeroth was such a world. But the universe has millions of galaxies and this is not the same one I came from. The computer cannot match any of the stars to known configurations. Even if this was an unexplored world it should still match some of the stars…but it cannot match any…not a single one. The only conclusion possible is that I am in a completely different galaxy." He turned from her and looked into the sky. The brightness of day had given to the darkness of night. Stars shined in the sky. "I am alone."

"I am sorry," she said walking up behind him. She placed her hand on his shoulder. "Will you be alright?"

"I will survive," he replied.

* * *

Demira sat on a stump watching the jedi pull container after container from the ship. She had volunteered to help him, but he asked her not too since he would be going deeper into the ship and did not want to endanger her. Thinking of what happened to her finger she grudgingly complied. Instead she walked the perimeter of the vessel setting enchanted stones along the ground. After the jedi had finished what he was doing she would enact an invisibility spell around the ship. He had not stated such, but she felt obligated to keep the ship secret from even her own people…there were technologies inside she couldn't begin to comprehend and knew some people would try to exploit the marvels the ship possessed. The temptation was too great, and in the wrong hands the danger more so. Technologies like the containers the jedi had been bringing out of the wreckage. She had asked him what they were…what they contained…and he had replied with details that still made her head hurt. All she knew for certain was they contained supplies like food, clothing, some tools, materials for making weapons like the one he wore, and some personal items he would not discuss in detail. She was curious as to what these last items could be, but since he had not volunteered that information she did not pry. She would wait for him to tell her when he was ready…he had been through too much. After a time she fell asleep.

Daneel emerged from the ship with the final nulentropy container and placed it with the others outside the ship. He looked over towards the sleeping sin'dorei. Despite the strangeness of recent events she had been kind and helpful to him. She slept peacefully under a tree, and not wanting to disturb her he sat down on the ground close to her and tried to meditate. He found himself in a condition no other being had ever been in. Travel between galaxies was deemed impossible because of the vast distances between them. How had he gotten here? He could use the force-folding technique again, but what would be the consequences? It got him to this world, but would it return him home…or somewhere else? No…he could not use the technique again…the risks were too great. He looked to the sleeping elf…her near perfect form lying serenely on a large tree branch slung low to the ground…and his thoughts drifted to those he left behind. He realized he would never see his friends again…never look into Nadia's eyes or hear her laughter. Never hear Tharan and Holiday as they schemed to unfold some scientific mystery. Never hear Felix talk of his days in the Republic military or Qyzen and his great hunts. He would never know if Zenith was able to bring peace to the war-torn world of Balmorra.

He stood up and walked to the ship and rested his hand on the hull. "There is no emotion, there is peace," he intoned. He would have to make this world his new home. Azeroth…with all the troubles and tribulations Demira had told him about. "There is no ignorance, there is knowledge." Demira had a kind heart, and if this world had more like her it could be a good home despite the troubles. "There is no passion, there is serenity." He would be a lone jedi on this world…a lone Force sensitive amongst a diverse peoples. He thought back to the elf behind him…could he actually give up on passion now that he was the only one here? The order frowned on relationships believing they led to the dark side. But he never held true to those beliefs. She was very beautiful and had befriended him when she did not have to…helped him when she could have fled and left him to the fates of this world…was still here instead of leaving. He could easily find himself attracted to her. "There is no chaos, there is harmony." He had to find some solace in that he was alive…alone but alive…and in a place where there were people…friendly people…people like Demira. "There is no death, there is the Force." And in this last part was truth. The Force was here with him…had brought him here to this world. He could have folded into the vast emptiness of space…folded into the corona of a star…anywhere…but instead he was here. And yet he could never return home.

"What was that you were saying?" he heard Demira ask behind him. He turned his head to see her lying on her side propped up on one elbow. "Was that some sort of prayer?"

"I was reciting the Jedi Code," he answered as he turned his body to face her. "It is the basic tenets of my order."

"It sounded like you were praying," she said with a smile.

"Perhaps," he replied. "We jedi sometimes repeat the code to ourselves whenever we are stressed."  
"Like waking up on a world that is not yours?"

"Something like that. I know I can never return home."

"Why not?" Demira asked sitting up. "Can't you just return the same way you came here?"

"How I came to be here…was an accident. Plus…I do not know where home is. Is it the closest galaxy? Two away? Ten? A hundred…a thousand…a million? Even if I knew where…the technique that brought me here is dangerous and avoided. I used it in a moment of weakness…and now I must face the consequences." He turned to the look back at the ship. "Some would say this is my punishment for my arrogance."

"Arrogance? I have not seen this in you," she said.

"But I was when I used it. Consciously or not…I believed I could control the technique to bring me safely from danger. Instead I caused harm so save myself. This is not the jedi way." He felt her hand on his shoulder…he had not heard her stand or approach him.

"You are too hard on yourself. It is only natural to save oneself from danger. And there was nothing harmed here. I live…the animals of this forest live...you live…from what I can tell…things turned out alright."

"And how would you feel if you were in my position? If you found yourself on a strange world with no hope of returning home?" He turned to face her…felt her body next to his.

"I would probably freak out," she replied with a smile. "You are much stronger than I am."

"I doubt that," the jedi stated. "I am freaking out."

"Then you need to know the Litany of Fear," she said.

"Litany of Fear?"

"Yeah…it goes something like this," she said clearing her throat. "'I shall not fear…fear is the mind killer…fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration…I will face my fear…I will permit it to pass over me and through me and when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path…where the fear has gone there will be nothing…only I will remain.'"

"That is a great saying," Daneel said quietly. "Is that a saying you use often?"

"No…just something I picked up along my travels," she said coyly. "I have no idea who came up with it. I know very few on Azeroth know it, but I like to keep it in mind for stressful times. If I could actually follow it, however…" She backed up from him and turned to the crates he had stacked outside the ship. "Did you get everything you needed?"  
"I did," he replied. "Especially the food and water supplies."

"Why those? Got certain things you like to eat and drink?" The coyness returned to her voice. "We have plenty of food and water here on Azeroth."

"But I do not know yet if it is safe for me to consume. This is still a strange world for me. What you might find pleasing and healthy might be poisonous to me."

"I…hadn't thought of that," Demira stated. "How could we find out?"

"I do have a device in the one crate that can scan items and tell me if they are safe."

"Oh…and if we don't…I can learn to conjure some for you," she stated enthusiastically. "I would just have to learn what you have in there…and then cast a spell…and wha-la!" She spread her arms wide. "Look no further…I am your personal cook!"

"You don't have to do that," he said.

"But…I insist."

"Why would you do that?" he asked.

Demira put her arms to her side and looked seriously at the jedi. "Because I know what it's like to alone and scared…to feel like sometimes you are the last of your kind. I told you there are not many sin'dorei left in the world…and fewer still who like to mingle with the other races of the Horde. Some races treat us as…inferior…because of our addictions…which they just do not understand. I didn't choose to be this way…I was born this way. And sometimes…I just want to be alone…to get away from the sneers and jeers I hear from goblins, taurens, trolls, orcs…" her voice trailed off. "My people…are just too serious sometimes…if they would just quit fretting about arcane magics and stop to just…smell the flowers." She looked back the ground. "I love them all…I truly do. But sometimes…I just…want to get away…and just live and enjoy what is around me."

"You are a very complex woman," Daneel said with a smile. "But I agree that sometimes it's very nice to just stop and see what is around you. To just live in the moment…forgetting all the troubles around…and just simply…feel alive. Thank you for reminding me of that."

"You're welcome…and don't you forget it," she replied looking back at him. "So…what do we do now?"

"I guess…we get busy living," the jedi replied. He turned back towards the ship. "There is just one more thing I need to check on. And then I will take you up on your offer. I would enjoy your company…and having a personal chef." He smiled and then entered the ship.

"I enjoy your company too," she replied quietly. "I enjoy it a lot."

* * *

Daneel stepped gingerly into the rear of the cargo hold. Several containers were littered along the floor…their seals broken and contents destroyed. But what he was looking for was not in any container. What he sought was his one vice…the Aratech Ice speeder he had been awarded for his various achievements across the Republic. He maintained the vehicle himself. It was more than a mark of achievement…it was a toy he enjoyed. He wasn't sure if the speeder had even survived the crash, but if there was a chance he wanted to salvage it if possible for it would make travel on Azeroth that much easier. Passing a few more crates he spotted the sleek blue nose of the bike ahead of him under some debris. Reaching out with the Force he lifted the clutter up and away from the speeder beneath. A wry smile crossed his lips…the speeder appeared undamaged. Again with the use of the Force he brought the vehicle forward and then let the debris return to the floor of the bay. His smile widened as the suspensors held the speeder a half meter from the deck…at least that much still functioned. He stepped over to check the power supply and controls. After adjusting some of the switches the speeder's engine hummed to life…light blue flames erupted from the exhausts at the rear. At least this part of his life was still with him…and he let himself release a slow whistle. He turned to walk back to the exterior of the ship and to Demira. She would be amazed when she saw the speeder and what it could do. The jedi stopped at the bottom of the ramp. Why had that thought crossed his mind? Was he actually thinking about trying to impress the elf? Wasn't that way of thinking frowned upon by the jedi? But he could never return to them...never worry about what the Council would think even if he was a member. He shook his head. Revan's outlook of the Force thrust itself into his mind. The Dark and light were intertwined more than anyone realized and Azeroth proved this to Daneel. According to the old master there was more gray in the Force than light or dark…a product of being an actual living thing. The man had been married and had a child. He had been both Jedi and Sith. Was what Daneel experienced now a reflection of Revan's…a realization of the truth behind those beliefs? This was something he would have to meditate on when the timing was right. He took a step. He was just still adjusting to his circumstances and a new world…that had to be what triggered his thoughts. The woman was beautiful, intelligent, witty, charming, and had been open and kind with him. Was this a genuine attraction to her or just a reaction to the void left from having friends and family lost forever in his life? With each step he took a short breath escaped him as his thoughts adjusted back to his immediate concerns…survival.

Daneel emerged from the ship to see his stack of containers gone. Next to where he had stacked them was what appeared to be a hole in the air. Through the hole he saw Demira stacking the containers in what appeared to be a home with a fireplace in the rear of the room and some furniture surrounding it. She was humming some tune he did not recognize with her back to him. She stretched her arms to the sides…and for the first time Daneel felt his heart race…and not from physical exertion. "There is no emotion, there is peace," he said softly.

The mage turned at the sound of his voice and smiled. She let her arms down and stepped through hole the air. As she came out it collapsed behind her leaving the no trace it had ever existed.

"What was that?" he asked.

"That was my home. I figured I would take your stuff there where it would be safe. Don't worry…it's in a secluded area. I have my home magically warded so there is no chance anyone can get in or out unless I am there," she replied.

"I mean…that thing you stepped through…what was that?" he asked.

"I opened a portal," she said with a shrug. "My home is far from here, so it's the quickest way."

"Was it…magical?" She nodded back to him. "And you can do this…any time you wish to?" Again she nodded twirling her braid with her fingers. Daneel walked to a stump and sat down. "And other mages…they can open portals as well?"

"Yep," she said walking to stand in front of him. "Why? Don't your people use portals to travel? I mean…we have ships and mounts as well, but sometimes a portal is just…quicker."

"And you can open these to anywhere you wish?" the jedi asked.

"Anywhere I have been to before. I mean…I can't just open one to say…Stormwind…because I have never been there so I have no reference when I cast the spell. But to any place I have been to…yeah…I can open a portal to those places any time I wish. But only mages possess the spells and arcane knowledge to open portals like I can. Other magical casters like druids and shamans can't…or at least I don't think they can…because they don't really use arcane magics or spells for that matter."

"Before you saw me…before the ship's crash…did you open a portal?"

"Yes," she replied crossing her arms across her chest. "Why do you ask?"

"I think," he started as he stood up, "that when you opened your portal was the exact same instant I used the Force to fold space from the anomaly in my galaxy. That opening on both ends…might be what brought me here to Azeroth. My technique opened one end…and your portal the opposite…and the ship and I were pulled through the tunnel between the openings."

"So there really is no way to get you home," she said beside him. He looked at her. "I mean…if what you say is right…and sounds reasonable to me…then for there to be any chance of repeating that I could open a portal, but you would need an opening on the other end at the exact same time." She shook her had. "It was blind luck that brought you here…I mean…luck…I didn't mean the blind part…sorry," she shied away from the Miraluka.

"A jedi does not believe in luck," was his only response apparently not even hearing her mention of blindness…or not caring.

"Then call it fate…your force…whatever," she said standing straight. "You were meant to come to me…I mean…to Azeroth."

"For what purpose? The Force does have a will of its own…but why bring me here?" He turned to face her. "Do you have any ideas? The Force is seldom just a matchmaker."

Demira looked at Daneel and shrugged her shoulders. "I can't think of anything. Right now my life is kinda uneventful…which at the moment I enjoy quite a bit." She twirled her braid in her fingers. "I still say it was luck…or fate." 'And what if it was playing matchmaker?' she thought to herself. 'Despite his strangeness…I really like this man.' "Whatever the reason…you are here so you might as well make the best of things." He looked at her and then started laughing. Demira crossed her arms again…confused and anger building. Was he laughing at her? "Fine…I'll…just leave then," she said turning away from him. How dare he laugh at her. She started to take a step when his hand on her shoulder stopped her. He turned her around and she stood looking into his face. He was still smiling. What was so damn funny? "What!" she blurted.

"What you said," he started with mirth, "you just sound like…"

"Like?" she interrupted him.

"It's just that…well…my sister used to tell me something similar," he replied. He reached into a small pouch on his belt and pulled out a small metal disk about two inches thick and three inches across. His thumb contacted a small button on the side, and above the disk appeared a hazy three dimensional image of a woman dressed in a full length white dress. Her brown hair was pulled back onto a ponytail and over her eyes was the same kind of covering Daneel wore. Demira gasped as she looked at the image before her. "This is my sister, Zufa," Daneel told her.

"She is very pretty," Demira whispered. The image moved as the woman waved at her, smiled, and then blew a kiss.

"Like me she is a Jedi," Daneel said quietly. "But unlike me she held a…looser…standard of the Jedi teachings. The Order frowns on romantic relationships because it is believed emotions like love can lead to others like jealousy which can lead one to the dark side of the Force. Zufa…did not agree with those sentiments. This image was taken on her wedding day."

"And you don't believe in…love?" Demira asked quietly.

"Lately I do not know what to believe," he replied…the image of Zufa still waving and blowing kisses as it looped on the holo-imager. "I met a man who taught me…who…" He hesitated. Demira uncrossed her arms and placed her hand on his cheek…and felt a tear? A bead of sweat? Was he nervous? "Revan was the name of the man," he finally continued. "He was a Jedi…then a Sith…but when I met him he was neither. He told me that there was…more to the Force than I understood. He tried to tell me…" The jedi grew silent again.

"Tell you what?"

"I'll just say that in the past six months I have seen and experienced things that have made me begin questioning my understanding of the Force…and of the Jedi teachings."

"Are you…falling to this…dark side?" the mage asked. "Turning…evil?"

"Nothing like that. I've just begun to think that maybe Revan is right. There is light and dark, but also more…gray…more…in-between…more…intermingling of the two sides in the middle. The Sith govern themselves through their passions…use the strongest emotions like fear, anger, and hatred to give them power…to bend the Force to their will. The Jedi try to avoid emotions instead to allow the Force to flow through them…to be become a conduit for the Force. But since I met Revan I have seen that neither is truly the only path…but there are several…and like him I have begun to see the truth and rightness of following both paths…along the grayer areas of the Force. In times of battle detaching oneself from emotions as a Jedi is invaluable…but also using the strong emotions like love, compassion, and caring can be just as powerful if not more so than using the emotions of fear, anger, and hatred as the Sith do. I have spent many hours meditating on this…and still I am no closer than this simple truth…I do not know enough to know what way is the right way…to follow my passions based in the light…or to suppress them."

"When did your sister get married" Demira asked…her hand still on his cheek.

"You are insightful," Daneel replied. "Six months ago…and Revan I met a year ago."

"So you began thinking this way because of your sister?"

"Partly," he said. "She was married in secret…the Council does not know and I would never tell them. I would never betray my sister like that." He sighed deeply. "She was always telling me I needed to find a woman…to think beyond the strict guidelines of the Jedi Code. To experience love and what having a caring relationship can mean on a personal level. She was…more understanding of the living will of the Force than I." His thumb broke contact with the switch and the image faded then disappeared. "The living Force is strong on this world. Very little of the light or dark do I sense…just the living will of the Force. I believe…I believe my sister was right all along. Azeroth…is showing me something I have never experienced before…at least not as profoundly."

"So what will you do?"

"Take things one day at a time," he replied placing his hand on her cheek. "Beginning now." He leaned forward and kissed her. He held onto the kiss…his arms sliding around her waist and pulling her closer. Her body did not tense at the abruptness of his kiss instead relaxing into his embrace. Their lips parted.

"I am sorry. I should not…" he began, but she pulled him into another kiss interrupting him. He relished the moistness of her lips as she kissed him deeply…the flick of her tongue in his mouth giving a deeper intimate feeling to the kiss. Her heart was racing with his as though he had just run a great distance, but he was not tired. And it ached…ached for her. He lost himself in her kiss…her touch…lost himself in the moment. Feelings he had never felt flooded him…

"What have we here? A jedi?" The strange voice startled the couple and their lips parted. They turned their heads towards the voice, and Daneel felt a familiar yet strange disturbance in the Force. Standing several meters away was a being that looked like a sith, but with green skin. To his side was an ignited lightsaber…the crimson blade glowing in the night. "Have the jedi so come to fear us that they reach even to this remote world?" the sith continued.

Daneel pulled Demira behind him and faced the strange being. It talked like a sith…wielded a crimson blade like a sith…but the green skin…

"At a loss for words…scum!"

"How did a sith come to this world?" Daneel asked while igniting his own blade. It spoke the native language fluently…not the galactic basic of the Republic and Sith Empire.

"Over a thousand years…and still your kind cannot leave us alone!" The sith lunged forward…the crimson blade slicing through the night sky. Daneel pushed Demira back as he brought his green blade to block the sith's attack. She fell to the ground with a grunt, and Daneel maneuvered the sith away from her as their blades connected time and again…attack and parry…attack and parry. Daneel blocked all questions from his mind instead allowing the Force to flow through him. The sith was strong in the Force, but it was different than he had experienced before. He had many encounters with dark side users including his old master Syo Bakarn. This being before him…sith yet something else…felt strange. And it kept coming at him again and again…blades crashed and sparked…the air crackled from their energies resounding in the calm night. Finally Daneel was able to knock his foe off balance with a feint and gathering the Force he pushed the being several yards into a tree. Bones cracked as the sith struck the trunk and the lightsaber fell to the ground…its blade extinguished. Daneel stepped towards the downed enemy. It pushed itself up to look at the approaching jedi. Green blood trickled from the corner of its mouth…a mouth twisted into a sneer as the sith sat slumped with its left arm holding its ribs.

"You have succeeded, jedi. Are you happy?" the sith asked.

"Who are you?" Daneel asked.

"Feign ignorance all you want…I know you have come to finish what you started over a thousand years ago."

"Over a thousand years…do you mean the Great Hyperspace War?"

The sith laughed and then choked on its blood. It spit on the ground and looked back up at Daneel. "You defeated us in that war, but it was not enough. You hunted us down to the edge of the galaxy…sought to eradicate us!" It coughed again and spat more blood. "There was one who called to the lords…to escape the genocide of the jedi. But my master…he knew that way lead to death. We did not heed the call. We fled further…until…" it choked again and its body spasmed.

"You are referring to the Emperor," Daneel said. "You speak of Lord Vitiate…the one who drained all life and the Force from the world Nathema." It nodded. "You could not be from that time. No natural beings live that long…not even the Hutts."

"On this world there are beings who live that long and longer," the sith replied.

"But this world is not even in the same galaxy as I come from."

"And yet you managed to find your way here," it said spitting more blood. "Tell me, jedi…tell me how you found us after all this time. Sargeras said we would be safe here…that no jedi would ever find us on this world."

"How I came to be here was by accident," Daneel replied. He sensed Demira come up behind them. "I am honestly not certain how I came to be here…only a theory."

"He mentioned Sargeras," Demira stated as she stopped behind the jedi. She looked at the green skinned creature dying at the base of the tree. "What do you mean Sargeras brought you here?"

* * *

Demira fell to the ground, no was pushed to the ground, by the jedi she was just kissing. She heard the snap-hiss of his peculiar weapon and looked to see him jump twenty yards through the air. He jumped to another strange being. It had green skin like an orc, but that was where the similarities ended. For starters it was slender like a human. It also had no facial hair or tusks like an orc, but instead it had fleshy tentacles around the mouth and chin. He wore simple black robes, and in its right hand was a lightsaber similar to Daneel's only with a red blade instead of green.

She gaped at the speed of the two combatants. Demira had participated in several battles in recent years. She witnessed elves, dwarves, humans, orcs, tauren, and other beings fight…and they were the best fighters in all of Azeroth. But these two before her moved faster than she imagined possible. Their movements were blurs. She heard the clash of the blades…a noise that reverberated throughout the woods around them. The stranger swung his blade at Daneel's legs, and instead of jumping as she had seen others do…he cartwheeled over the blade never touching the ground in the movement. The jedi landed and brought his hand before him, and the stranger flew thirty yards through the air and into the trunk of a tree. She heard the distinctive sound of bones breaking, and the being slumped to the ground. She stood up as Daneel approached the attacker…his blade still ignited while the other blade was gone…where to Demira was not sure. The two were talking, and as she neared them she heard the other mention Sargeras…that foul being who had attempted to destroy Azeroth countless times.

"He mentioned Sargeras," Demira stated as she stopped behind the jedi. She looked at the green skinned creature dying at the base of the tree. "What do you mean Sargeras brought you here?"

The sith laughed. "He brought us here and thought he controlled us. He offered power and escape…and we took both." It coughed again and then smiled. "He never realized just how much we took from him…the fool. Yes I know…your kind and others defeated him and his legion. But you would never have done so had we not siphoned his power from him. He was powerful…but lacked any knowledge of the Force." It spat blood on the ground and coughed again. He looked up at Demira and smiled. "He was a tool for our salvation…and the key to our ultimate power."

She looked at this being…sith was what Daneel called it. The smirk on its face twisted the tentacles into something demonic. It had red eyes with yellow fringes around the pupils. And she could not believe what she was hearing. It claimed to control Sargeras?

"How many of you are there on this world?" she heard the jedi ask. She looked at him…his blade still humming active.

"One…less…than…there…was…before…today…" the sith gasped with its final breaths. Its head slouched forward and hand fell to its side…dead.

Daneel sighed and then to Demira's surprise thrust the green blade into the inactive hilt of the sith's lightsaber on the ground. Sparks flew from the blow. She looked back at the dead creature lying against the tree…a being completely alien to her. Then its body dissolved into a purple mist that dissipated into the night air. She felt Daneel's hand cup her cheek, and as a thousand confusing questions flooded her mind she looked into his face.

"Are you ok?" he asked her. She nodded and did not speak. Her tailbone was bruised from when he had pushed her to the ground, but that now seemed so trivial compared to what she had just heard and witnessed. Again this man…one whom she found herself caring deeply for…had just protected her again without thought of the danger to himself. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her head in his chest. After all she had seen and experienced…this time she felt truly…helpless. The only comfort she wanted now was in his arms…her protector this day for the second time. She felt his arms wrap around her shoulders and his cheek rest against her head. She took a deep breath.

"What…what was that?" she finally asked.

"I believe it was a sith. A species from my galaxy."

"How did he get here?"

"I do not know," he replied. "But he claimed to have been here a thousand years."

"He mentioned Sargeras," she whispered. "A foul demon who brought the orcs to Azeroth…was behind the destruction of the Well of Eternity…led the Burning Legion…so much destruction." She looked up into Daneel's face. A tear ran down her cheek. "Where the Dark Portal existed…it killed all life around it. The fel energies are the reason the orcs have green skin…my people's eyes glow green…and now this…person….with green skin…" her voice trailed off. "Sargeras' corruption left Draenor, the original home of the orcs, a dead world."

"Like Nathema," he muttered. "A world left void of all life, color, even the Force. To step on its surface is akin to touching…oblivion. Unnatural and done for the greed of one man to become immortal…over a thousand years ago…all because he was afraid of his own inevitable death."

"Sounds as bad as Sargeras," Demira whispered. She buried her face back into his chest. "Do you think he brought those beings here to Azeroth to kill it like this…Nathema place?"

"I doubt in quite the same way," he replied. "Only one sith knew the ritual to kill Nathema, and he is now dead. But…" his voice trailed off. She looked up at him. "There are some sith…the Dread Masters…who can kill only by their thoughts and amplifying their victims fears. This one…was not like that. I would guess his abilities as a low level lord. But he spoke of others…" He kissed her forehead and ran his hand through her hair. "He felt strange in the Force…corrupted. I fear what they have been doing on this world for the past millennium."

"If they have been in league with Sargeras it can be nothing good." She shuddered and held him tighter. They stood quietly in each others arms for a moment. "We should leave this place."

"I agree," he replied. "The danger seems to have passed. And I have a means to get us anywhere from here quickly."

"I would like to see this."

Daneel let go of his embrace of Demira and smiled. He walked back to the ship. She watched him walk into the darkness, and a few moments later heard a high pitched whine. Her eyes gaped as she saw him approach on a vehicle. It was sleek and hovered a couple of feet from the ground. It had blue flames coming from pipes under the jedi's feet. He leaned forward on a black seat atop the light blue frame. He stopped next to her and smiled.

"Hop on, little lady," he said. "Then just point the way and hold on tight to me."

Demira climbed onto the seat behind Daneel and wrapped her arms around his waist. "What is this?" she asked.

"My speeder bike," came the reply. "It can travel over two hundred kilometers per hour." The last statement intoned with a sense of pride.

"Is that fast?" the mage asked. "I do not know what a kilometer is." The past few minutes of fear caused by the appearance of the strange sith eroded from their minds.

"Oh…that it is. Which way to your home? Is it far?"

"We can head to Saltheril's Haven," Demira replied. "It's not far at all and over in that direction," she said pointing.

"Hold on tight," Daneel stated.

She tightened her embrace around his waist. Suddenly they sped across the glade and into the darkness. She felt the wind whipping her hair at a speed she seldom travelled at except when riding her drake mounts. Although sin'dorei had excellent night vision she had difficulty seeing their path in the night, but she felt confident in the jedi's ability to see their way in the night. So far he had done things she scarcely imagine possible…and especially for a being with no eyes.

They travelled to the Haven, and then to save time Demira opened a portal to her home in a secluded part of Eversong Woods. She found the speeder ride thrilling, but opted to retire to her home to rest and recuperate from the day's events. She asked Daneel to join her, and he accepted. They spent the next few days just getting to know each other better than they had that first day. Their love for each other blossomed and for the next few years they lived uneventful lives…but always in the back of their minds was the encounter with the corrupted Sith…and what that species was doing on Azeroth. But despite periodic investigation into the Sith's whereabouts on the planet…they uncovered not a single person, reference, or evidence of their existence…except for that one encounter.


	2. A New Home

**_Part Two: A New Home _**

Daneel…jedi master…sat on the rear deck of a small abode settled near the edge of a thick forest at the base of a mountain. About one hundred yards before him was the line of trees marking the beginning of the dense foliage. All sorts of creatures made their home in the woods from small squirrels to mighty bears. As with much of the planet of Azeroth it teemed with life and was full of the Force. Today was no exception as a fox chased after a rabbit on the edge just within sight of the cottage. To the jedi's right a short walking distance away was a small lake fed by a waterfall from the mountain summit. Along one of its banks a golden haired bear fished in the shallows of the stream that continued from the lake to the valley below. Daneel sensed all of this as he reached out with the Force. With his mastery of the living Force he slowed his perception of time as he watched each wing-beat of a hummingbird as it flitted amongst a bed of flowers. He felt the fear of the rabbit as it searched for cover and safety from the fox that pursued it. The elation of the bear as it caught a fish in its claws. This was nature…the ebb and flow of life in its most raw and primitive form. Nature sought balance as did also the Force. The master meditated on all that was happening around him and its reverberations in the Force…the one thing that was bound to life, created by life, and was itself alive. He let it flow around him and through him. Daneel the Jedi Master…far from what he had called home living on a strange world not even in the same galaxy of his birth…was at peace.

It was almost three years since his arrival to Azeroth. To save his life from a violent anomaly in deep space, Daneel performed a seldom used and nearly forgotten technique in the Force that folded space. At the same time a sin'dorei mage, Demira, had opened a portal to a quiet glade on this world. Their timing was perfect to open a tunnel through space and time that brought Daneel to Demira. A small smile crossed the jedi's face as he thought of the beautiful woman he had come to love. He thought back to that first day they had met. At first there was the natural trepidation and confusion, but by the end of that first day they had shared their first kiss. Convention said that things between the couple had moved too fast, but as the past years demonstrated convention was sometimes wrong. The mage and the jedi were closer than ever and both were very happy.

The sound of the wing-beats of a drake filled the air in the distance. The smile widened on the jedi's face. The drake drew closer and shortly afterwards he heard it land near the front of the cottage and then take off again. Daneel remained sitting with his legs crossed and hands steepled before his chest. His only clothing was a pair of shorts. The slight breeze tousled his collar length white hair. He never heard her footsteps or when she knelt beside him on the wooden deck. Her only sound was a deep sigh escape her lips. She was troubled…this much he could sense even without the use of the Force. He reached out and grasped her hand. He felt her tension relax a little with his touch.

"Your visit with the Kirin Tor did not go well I take it," he stated. Demira had been trying to gain acceptance to the order for the past two years. She had met with some resistance mainly due to her race.

"Neutral my ass," she replied with a heavy sigh. She leaned over and placed her head on his shoulder. "Just because blood elves created the mana bomb that decimated Theramore at the behest of the Horde…and I was a member of the Horde at the time…they say I still have to prove myself trustworthy before they will accept me." Her other hand touched his. Her voice grew quiet. "Thalen Songweaver did more damage than just what happened at Theramore."

Daneel squeezed her hand tightly. "I believe this is for the best. I do not think now is a good time to be in Dalaran."

"But you know this is what I want," she replied. She looked up at his face…he was no longer smiling. "Do you know something?"

"The Force has given me a vision," he replied turning his face to hers. "There will be a great deal of turmoil in that city. I do not feel that now would be a good time for you to be there."

Her heart sank. This was not the first time she had learned of his visions. As he described them, when he opened himself to the Force he would receive visions. Sometimes they were from the past, some from the present, and some from the future. The Force existed outside the normal understanding of time and space…it was everywhere and at every time. She swallowed hard. "Is it the future you saw?" she asked quietly.

"This war that Garrosh machinates…it will have dire consequences to your people in that city. I am not certain what will happen for the future is always in motion…always changing…but I see…" his voice trailed off.

"What?"

"It is best that you are here," he replied trying to avoid a direct answer. "Here…you are safe…and free to live as you wish."

She reached up and cupped his cheek. Her eyes searched his face. "Daneel…tell me…tell me what you saw."

"The sin'dorei will be either imprisoned or expelled…or possible killed…within Dalaran. I do not know the reason…only saw glimpses of what could happen," he replied. "I could not bear any of those things happening to you," he whispered. "You are too important to me."

"You should speak to Jaina Proudmore…to Aethas Sunreaver…tell them what you saw…tell them…" Demira pleaded.

"They will not listen," he replied…sorrow echoed in his voice. "Both are proud and stubborn. They would not…and still do not…believe that there are sith on this world. They will not believe what they do not understand. Although they know me…know what I am…they would never understand how the Force works with visions. It took me a long time to get you to understand." He sighed deeply. "It is because of our relationship that I think you were not detained. I sense…I feel things are already in motion in Dalaran."

She nodded as she knew his reasoning was sound. After he had been on Azeroth a month she had taken him to Dalaran and the Kirin Tor. Since that time he had been accepted as a neutral entity always striving for peace between the Horde and the Alliance. When the Council of Six asked him why acted as he did, Daneel explained the jedi philosophy to them and their history. She sat and listened in fascination as his order was revealed to the highest magical authority on Azeroth. And he was right…for they never did understand what he was telling them about the Force. They saw him as a mage with a strange source for his power. His lack of eyes helped them to understand he was from a different world…that they never questioned…only his power and where he drew it from. That he acted for peace kept them from imprisoning him and torturing him for his secrets. They did not know the jedi as she did…she understood him.

"Then we can do nothing? For my people?" she asked.

"There is nothing safe for you to do," he replied squeezing her hand again. "I did not say there was nothing that I could not do."

"You?"

He leaned forward and kissed her. "I need to get dressed, but I will need you to open a portal for me in a few minutes. I must do what I can to ensure your people are not endangered unnecessarily. The vision I received…I believe I must act soon for the benefit of your people."

"Why?" she whispered already knowing the answer. "You are not sin'dorei."

"They are your people…and that is enough," he replied. "The jedi way is to serve those who are in need…and right now those in need are the sin'dorei in Dalaran."

"Why haven't you left before now?" Demira asked.

"I sensed through the Force your return. I wanted to ensure you were here and safe before I left."

"You mean you just had this vision?"

"Just before you arrived," he replied standing. "Events are in motion…and I must make haste." He walked to the cottage door and turned to face her. "I love you."

She watched after him for a few moments. She began pacing with nervous energy causing the skirt of her long red dress to flow behind her steps. What had happened that the blood elves would be expelled from Dalaran? Or imprisoned? Or even killed? Her thoughts drifted to the conversation she had with Kalecgos, the former Aspect of the now disbanded blue dragonflight. He had stopped to talk to her just before she left Dalaran only a few hours before…just minutes after the Council of Six denied her membership in the Kirin Tor.

"Demira," he had called to her. "May I have a moment?" She did not stop or answer him. She just wanted to leave before she said or did something she might regret. But the former Aspect was insistent. He strode up alongside her matching her stride for stride. "I think you misunderstand their reasoning," he said.

"What's to understand?" she retorted quickening her pace. "I asked to join the Kirin Tor and they said no. Who am I but a single blood elf mage?"

"A mage with a very strange and powerful friend," Kalecgos added. "But that is not why they hesitate."

Demira stopped suddenly and Kalecgos almost tripped trying to stop himself. "Hesitate? I have been asking to join the order for almost three years! That's a little more than hesitation! And what has Daneel have to do with any of this?"

"To the first let me just say that there have been some developments regarding an ancient and powerful artifact."

"So?" she huffed crossing her arms over her chest.

"It was recently stolen, and we think by the Horde. That is why Jaina Proudmore was not present today," he answered. "She left to investigate the theft."

"Still not seeing what this has to do with me," she replied. "I didn't steal any artifact. In fact until just now I didn't even know one had been found and hidden away to even think about stealing it."

"And you are a blood elf…and a member of the Horde…" he started.

"The Sunreavers are Horde! Aethas Sunreaver himself sits on the council! How does that affect my joining the Kirin Tor?"

The dragon in human form looked at her with pity. "Things are just very complicated."

Demira rolled her eyes as she started walking again. "Whatever," she sighed. He walked in line beside her. "Just let me be."

"You had two questions," he said. "Your jedi friend has powers that…quite honestly…scare us."

"Good," she replied with a smirk.

"Not good," he said grabbing her arm stopping her. She glared at him and roughly removed his hand from her arm. "He can resist all forms of arcane magics thrown against him…that has never been done."

"Blah," she answered. It was a true statement. She had seen Daneel shirk arcane attacks many times. He erected what he called a Force barrier that blocked all arcane attacks both physical and mental. She had even thrown her most potent spells against him to no effect while sparring. But the jedi was not invincible. Zharn and Kitali could both hurt Daneel if they wanted to with ease. While he could resist arcane magics with little effort, the magics of the elements used by shamans and druids he had no defense against. Fire still burned him…winds could still knock him off his feet…the ground could still open and swallow him. "So mages can't hurt him…so what?"

"So where does he get that power?" Kalecgos asked. "If not arcane sources…then it must be demonic. It certainly does not come from the Light as a priest or paladin utilizes it. "

"He told you all about the Force," she retorted. "The living energy created by all living things. He is very sensitive to it and can harness it as he needs. When you first met him he explained all of this."

"That is too…unbelievable," the dragon replied. "I, for one, do not believe it."

"Of course you wouldn't. You are a blue dragon…the flight with governance over arcane magics. It's all you know! Did you ever confide in the Life-Binder? Did you ask Alexstrasza her opinion about the Force? Her domain was over all things living…right?"

"She could not confirm or deny its existence," Kalecgos admitted. "But if she of all beings is not certain then I cannot believe in it myself." He hesitated. "Then there his influence on you, Demira, blood elf mage. We can all see it. We know you have not visited the Sunwell in the time you have known him. Blood elves must satiate their arcane hunger at the well or risk drawing their energies from fel sources…from demons. This fact disturbs us. We fear you may be falling down the same path as Kael'thas Sunstrider."

"I am NOT consorting with demons!" she exclaimed. "I'm…I…I am just going to leave now and try not to think about what happened today." She turned from Kalecgos and walked away. "Good day, Kalecgos of the blue dragon flight." She meant the last part as an insult. She didn't feel good about doing it and knew that Daneel would not approve. However, today she didn't feel good about anything.

Daneel's emergence from their home brought her back to the here and now. He was dressed in the same robes from when they first met. His lightsaber hung from his belt on his left side. She smiled at him. He walked over and caressed her cheek. They didn't day anything…they didn't need to. He leaned forward to kiss her passionately. When their lips parted she kept her eyes closed as they touched foreheads. "You make sure to come back to me," she whispered.

"That I can promise," he replied and kissed her again. He then stepped back and allowed her to cast the portal to Dalaran. He smiled at her as he stepped through the portal. She stood looking after him a few moments after it had closed. She hoped he was wrong…that the vision was only one possible future that he could avoid. With a sigh she turned and walked back to the deck. They had a small table and some chairs to one side and she sat looking back at where the portal had been.

"You have a good man there," a voice said shocking her. Demira stood and faced where the voice came from. Only a few yards away stood a man dressed in black robes…and a crimson face half obscured from the black hood of the robes. She recognized the race from three years before, but that person had green skin like an orc. She tensed remembering the confrontation with that sith and Daneel. He put his hand before him but did not threaten her. "Please…I only wish to talk."

"I know what you are," she replied. If only Daneel had not left already, or had this sith been watching them and waited until the jedi had departed. "I can defend myself against you, sith."

"Of that I have no doubt," he replied with a smile. "And I am sure your jedi friend told you all about us sith. I would have to admit most of what he probably told you is true. But there are some of us who do not follow the dark side of the Force."

"And I suppose you are telling me you are one of those. Then why are you here on Azeroth?" she asked.

He kept his hands in front of his body where she could see them. She kept wary because she knew force-users had more weapons than just lightsabers. In that regard they were like mages…their power could manifest in many ways. "I did follow the dark side…long ago," he began. "Then we came to this world. Much like the orcs our leaders were beguiled by Sargeras. You see…the jedi were hunting us…and for good reason for we tried to enslave the galaxy. The demon lord came to us in our most desperate hour and offered us a way to avoid the jedi…to avoid the genocide. But some of us, like myself, did not trust Sargeras or his seemingly benign offer." He stepped to a chair and sat down keeping his hands on the table. Demira watched him closely looking for any trick…any indication he was poised for an attack. "You see…he used the same argument on us we had used countless times before turning the weak to our service in the dark side. Our level of technology is much farther advanced than on most worlds. Sargeras promised us he could augment our engines…make it possible to leave our galaxy for a new world. 'This world,' he told us, 'is ripe for dominance. And the sith are perfect for dominating this planet. I promise you power beyond anything you have achieved before.' But a few of us did not believe him. Worse yet was that our leaders thought they could subvert Sargeras to their will. Some still believe they have power over the demon, but of course that is their vanity for he controls them as he always has since they accepted his bargain. Our fears were confirmed when he forced our leaders to drink of demon blood to seal the pact. A few of us refused to drink his concoction, and we had little choice but to come with the others. It was either come here and live or die when the jedi finally found us…so we chose life."

"That sounds too familiar," Demira stated. "Sounds like you changed what happened to the orcs just enough to make a believable story to try and…"

"I know you have seen one of us," he said angrily. "One of us with green skin! This is what my race is supposed to look like," he continued as he pointed to his face…the red skin. "We were a crimson nightmare ravaging across the galaxy!" He took a deep breath and placed his hand back flat on the table. "There is no emotion, there is peace."

"That's part of the jedi code," Demira said.

The sith smiled at her. "I know. We had some of their holocrons in our possession as 'spoils of war' as it were. When we finally arrived on this world, a few of us immediately left the others. Only one other came with me to find our own corner of seclusion on this world. Where the other dissenters left to I do not know. But after a few years we, my wife and I, were amazed at the complexity and variety of life on this single world. The Force was rich and alive more so than either of us had ever experienced. We began to…question…our old beliefs about the Force. Soon I used one of those jedi holocrons and began to appreciate a more enlightened view of the Force and life in general. For over a thousand years my wife and I have embraced the light side of the Force, and we adopted the jedi philosophy to better understand the living Force we found ourselves drowning in."

"I don't believe you," Demira replied. "And I would like for you to just leave."

"I didn't actually expect you to believe me," the sith replied standing up from the table. He kept his hands where she could see them.

"Then why come here?" she asked.

"I was hoping to meet your friend, but it seems he has more pressing concerns at the present time," he said as he started to turn away from her, and then stopped. "I have…a favor to ask of him. When he returns just tell him of our meeting." He looked at Demira with a sad expression. "Sometimes a father's love for his child will cause even the hardest to seek help from once mortal enemies."

"And shall I give him your name as well?"

"I am called Maktai," the sith replied. "But he will not know my name from history. I was nothing significant during that war…only a foot soldier that had a little wisdom."

He walked away from her into the forest. Demira watched after him a few moments, and then placed warding stones around the cottage. With a quick utterance the spell was enacted protecting the small abode. She walked inside and to the bedroom she shared with Daneel. Next to the wall close to the bed was a small end table with a drawer. She opened it and reached inside. The metal cylinder was cold to the touch. She held it before her and thumbed the contact igniting the green blade. She smiled and looked back in the direction of the woods where the sith had left moments before. If he returned he would find her more than a simple mage.

Kalecgos was partially right…Daneel had been teaching her of the Force. By no means was she close to the abilities of a jedi, but she had been awakened to its presence around her. Instead of simple arcane energies her spells now were fuelled by the Force. The former Aspect was right in that she had lost her addiction to arcane energies…that she no longer needed to visit the Sunwell like the rest of her people did. Instead she let the Force flow through her as she had arcane energies before. Her spells were more potent, but all of this she kept secret because others, like Kalecgos, would not understand. The blade she now held she could not make as a jedi could. Her attunement to the Force was very rudimentary…she could wield the weapon if needed, but she was not familiar enough with the mysterious energies of the Force to align the crystal which was a basic test of the jedi. This lightsaber Daneel had made for her. It was more a deterrent than anything else…she was never that comfortable with swordplay. If the sith returned and pressed her into a duel she was quite sure she would not survive the encounter. If only Daneel would hurry back then she would feel safe.

* * *

Daneel emerged from the portal into utter chaos. Guardsmen were either fighting blood elves or escorting obvious prisoners through the streets. Bodies were strewn everywhere. Some were bleeding, some burnt, and some so contorted they were barely recognizable. His heart sunk in his chest. The worst scenario he could imagine had come to pass…war had erupted in the streets of Dalaran. Screams of agony mixed with rage and fear assaulted his hearing. Death and decay mixed with the putrid smells of destruction smothered every breath of air. The sky was blackened with smoke. With a heavy sigh he began walking towards the center of the city and Runeweaver Square where Dalaran's leaders should be located to coordinate such a purge as he was witnessing. There was nothing he could do for the dead immediately around him. He resigned himself to help those he could along the way, but as he neared the center of the city the fighting was worse not less.

Daneel turned west towards the Violet Citadel. Perhaps he could convince the Council of Six to halt their purge and end the bloodshed. He walked down several streets wary of danger, but these appeared to be deserted. He rounded a corner and stopped to stand face to face with none other than Jaina Proudmore and Kalecgos. With them were two members of the Silver Covenant.

"Strange to see you here at this very moment," Jaina stated, her silvery hair billowing in the wind. The two high elves moved towards opposite sides of the jedi. "Are you here looking for your Horde friend?"

"She is at our home where she is safe," replied the jedi. "I came hoping to avoid bloodshed, but I see I am too late for that."

Proudmore smiled. "All Horde members are ordered to surrender and placed into custody in the Violet Hold. Do you submit?" Her smile waned. "I will only ask this once."

"I am not Horde," Daneel replied. Jaina's face grew stern. "Guilt by association I take it?"

"You're friend is Horde." The two elves stepped up close to either side of the jedi. "And Garrosh Hellscream has made it abundantly clear there are no neutral parties in this war."

"And so you follow his example and also recognize no neutral parties?" Daneel asked. She only looked at him. "I did not come here for violence…only to try and avoid any if possible." She nodded and each elf grabbed one of his arms. They began to lead him away from the area. "I pity you, Jaina Proudmore. To have once been a beacon of peace you have become someone who will condemn all members of a race for the actions of a few."

"Once a Horde always a Horde," she replied. "I will not allow what happened at Theramore to happen again." She turned and walked away apparently with nothing more to say to the jedi. Kalecgos followed without saying a word, just an apologetic look on his face.

The two elves escorted Daneel along some of the back streets of Dalaran trying to avoid the fighting that had become localized near the center of the city. Neither said a word to the jedi, and he did not try to strike a conversation with them sensing they had no desire to speak…only to escort their prisoner to the Violet Hold. They did not treat him roughly, and he did not resist. At a "T" intersection they stopped to get their bearings, and the woman on Daneel's right suddenly gasped. A red blade protruded from her chest. Using the Force he pushed the surviving elven woman towards a wall and reached for his lightsaber with his other hand. The stricken elf fell to the ground dead, and behind her a green skinned sith snarled at the jedi…his lightsaber blade glowing crimson. Daneel's green blade sprung to life with the familiar snap-hiss. The surviving elf turned to face something she did not believe possible…a member of the race the jedi claimed but nobody believed existed stood mere feet from her.

"You should thank me, jedi," the sith said with a grin. "I saved you from their prison, but I just could not let them take the chance of killing you away from me." His simple black robes flowed in the breeze. The hood fell away from his face revealing the green skin and red eyes of a once pureblood sith.

"Stay out of the way," Daneel said to the elf behind him never taking his gaze from the killer. "I will deal with him." She only nodded…eyes gaping not only at the sith but the weapons wielded by both he and the jedi who only seconds ago was her prisoner.

"Don't worry, love," the sith said to the elf. "Your time will come soon enough."

"Are you the one behind what is happening here?" Daneel asked. He took a step to his left further blocking the sith from the elf behind him.

"These people are primed for such violence without any interference from me," the sith replied. "I came for the feeding…so much hatred and anger to strengthen the dark side. I could feel its power from miles away…and I just had to come and sample some of that power. I never imagined I would also come face to face with a jedi here." He stepped to his right to stand directly in front of Daneel. "This is indeed a glorious day."

Behind the sith Kalecgos rounded a corner and stopped. Before him stood the jedi with a green blade, an elven woman of the Silver Covenant cowering against a wall behind him, and before them a being with green skin he had never seen before. His arrival startled the sith who turned to face the former Aspect. Kalec's jaw dropped as he saw what he thought was unreal…a being never seen or heard of before the jedi's claim they were on Azeroth.

"What's this? A dragon?" the sith growled. He turned back to Daneel. "No matter…first I kill you, then the intruder, and then maybe I will have my way with the pretty one behind you before I kill her as well."

"You will do no such thing!" cried Kalecgos as he quickly passed his initial shock. He unleashed a barrage of arcane energy at the sith engulfing him a colorful cloud of magic. The sith was unaffected and laughed as he raised his free hand towards Kalecgos. Force lightning arced from his fingers to engulf the former Aspect. Kalec writhed in agony as the lightning coursed through his body.

"Pathetic," the sith cried as he poured more of his power into his attack. "Arcane magics are nothing compared to the dark side of the Force."

"Then what about this?" The sith turned at the sound of Daneel's voice just as a bright white ball of telekinetic energy hit him full in the chest. The lightning ceased as the sith was hurled backwards. Daneel kept his focus on the sith knowing he would recover quickly. "Go help Kalec," he said to the elf behind him. "And get yourselves away from this place." She nodded without a word and scrambled towards the dragon lying unconscious on the ground. Picking up the former Aspect she looked back at the jedi and the sith who was beginning to stand. The jedi raised his free hand and a boulder close by lifted from the ground. With a push of the Force Daneel hurled the boulder at the sith who jumped at the last second avoiding harm. She struggled to the corner and rounded it just as she heard crackling sounds behind her.

Daneel pushed back on his lightsaber as his blade clashed with the sith's. The being smelled putrid as if his flesh was rotting from decay. The blades parted as each combatant swung to the left only to have their blades clash again. With their free hands the each tried to push the other with the Force. Their hands shook as each channeled more of the Force. Their blades parted as each was thrown back…repulsed from their mutual onslaught. Both jedi and sith landed on their feet only to spring back immediately towards each other…blades clashing.

Further away Kalecgos began to stir as the elf dragged him further from the fight. Her fear took hold as she heard the crackling and sparking behind her. She had seen a friend and comrade killed, and one of the most powerful mages, if not the most powerful one, proven ineffective against an unknown assailant. She slowed her pace as he began regain consciousness.

"Where…what…happened?" he asked groggily.

"I am not certain what is happening," she replied.

"Where is the jedi?"

"He's back there fighting that…thing." He looked up at her. "Back around that corner. He told me to get you to safety."

"I need…I need you to do something," he said regaining some of his strength. She looked at him and nodded. "Just leave me here. Go to the Violet Citadel. Get one of the draenei shaman that are visiting here. They were left at the Citadel for their protection."

"What can a shaman do against that creature?" the elf asked.

"Hopefully more than I could," Kalecgos said forcing a smile. "I'll be fine. Just go quickly. I fear our jedi savior might need some help."

She simply nodded and guided him to a small waist high wall to lean against. She then turned and ran towards the Violet Citadel to carry out his order. He watched her go and then struggled to step from the wall. He almost fell, but summoning all of his remaining strength he took another step…and then another. He slowly made his way back to the corner. As he got closer he could hear the fighting between the jedi and the sith. He peered around the corner to see flashes of green and red as the two combatants performed a deadly dance. The sith struck from high as the jedi whirled around with his blade behind him blocking the attack. He continued his turn and swung his green blade at the other's neck, but the sith ducked and cartwheeled…his red blade deflecting the green. Their movements were fluid and flawless and almost faster than he could comprehend. He watched this dance for a few moments until her heard two people coming up behind him. He turned to see the elf and a draenei woman.

"I brought this woman," the elf said as they approached. "Her name is Kitria." The other nodded.

"I think you might just prove the person we need to tip the balance in this fight," Kalecgos said.

"What do you need me to do?" Kitria asked.

"Just a distraction of the green skinned one," Kalec said. "I am convinced the jedi made no idle boast that his kind are immune to arcane magics. But you, my friend, do not use arcane magic…and I believe that is exactly what our jedi friend could use right now."

"I'll see what I can do," the draenei replied. She stepped around the corner. If she was shocked by what was happening she did not show it. Kitria reached into a pouch at her waist and pulled out a totem and placed it on the ground. "I will call on the elements of fire to help us."

"Remember…just the green one," the former Aspect reminded her.

Kitria did not respond. She began waving her hands in a circle before her chest, and between her hands a ball of fire formed. With a nod she pushed forward and the fire flew towards the sith. It struck him on the back, and he hissed in pain. His robes caught fire. The seconds of distraction was all Daneel needed to bring his blade down and slice through the sith's blade arm just below the elbow. The lightsaber's blade extinguished as it fell to the ground. The sith backed away shedding the burning robes. He glared at the jedi then jumped onto a high wall behind him.

"This is not over between us, jedi," he growled. "I will return to finish what we started. We sith never forget…and we never forgive." With a leap he was gone from their sight. A few seconds later they saw him escape on a speeder much like Daneel's. The jedi turned to his benefactor and bowed. He then brought his green blade into the lightsaber on the ground. Sparks ignited as the sith's weapon was destroyed. He extinguished his blade and walked the distance to the corner where the dragon, elf, and draenei stood stunned by what had happened.

"I must thank you for your timely assistance," Daneel said with a smile. Kitria nodded. Daneel faced Kalecgos. "Are you badly hurt?"

"I'll survive," Kalec answered. "I suppose that was one of those…sith I think you called them?"

"It was," the jedi replied. "But this one also had the green skin. Pureblood sith have red skin and eyes. The two I have encountered on this world still have the red eyes, but their skin is green which I find most unusual. If they did come as they claim with the help of Sargeras, then that would seem that they suffered the same fate as the orcs as Demira has told me. They have been…corrupted."

"Then how is it that the mage's attack was ineffective, but the shaman was able to have an effect on it?" the elf asked.

"The Force is the energy created by all living things. Shamans deal with the forces of nature, so the two coexist," Daneel explained. "As for arcane energies and thus its attacks not working…Demira and I believe they are similar to polar "likes". You know that positive and negative go together…are attracted to each other." The three nodded agreement. "However, two positives or two negatives will repel each other. We believe that possibly the Force energies and arcane energies fit this pattern… alike enough that they repel each other. She has tried to attack me, and I can erect a Force barrier which blocks even her most potent and powerful attacks. Conversely if she erects a similar barrier she can deflect most Force attacks I unleash on her like my telekinetic based energy attacks." He looked at Kalecgos. "You acted much too quickly. I could have warned you to protect yourself in such a manner, but the fact that you still live tells me you did so instinctively."

"I still owe you my life," Kalec said solemnly. "I have no doubt I would have died had you not intervened."

"The jedi way is to serve," Daneel replied plainly. "You owe me no debt except to try and help those who cannot help themselves. Like what is happening in this city. There are innocents being punished for the actions of others. Do what you can to lessen their suffering."

"I promise you that I will do what is in my power, though you know Jaina can be stubborn about such matters," Kalec said bowing his head. Daneel simply nodded.

"And what about him?" the elf asked. "I say we let the jedi go free." Kitria nodded agreement beside her.

"I agree," Kalecgos replied. "You may leave in peace, my friend. I will make certain nobody interferes with you or Demira. This I also swear."

"Thank you," Daneel said. He turned to walk away and stopped after a few feet. He looked back to face the trio and smiled. "May the Force be with you." Then he turned back and left the city without running across any other people.

* * *

Demira paced the living room. Her conversation with the strange sith was racing through her mind. She was also worried about Daneel. It had been hours since he left, and he should have either returned or called her. She jumped when the holocommunicator beeped on the hearth. She walked over and activated the unit. Daneel's holo image appeared above the device.

"It is as I feared here in Dalaran," he began. "And something else happened I will tell you once I am home."

"I have something to tell you as well," she replied. "Are you ready for me to open a portal to bring you back here?"

"I am, but do not come through it yourself. It is not safe for you here."

"Why? What has happened?" she asked.

"I will tell you once I am home," he replied.

Demira nodded and deactivated the holocom. She stepped outside and opened a portal. Seconds later Daneel emerged and picked her up in his arms. He kissed her deeply and held it for a long time. Then he buried his head by her neck and tightened his embrace. She laid her head against his and hugged his head with her arms. Neither said anything for another moment.

"I am so glad you are safe," he whispered.

"I'm glad you are home," she whispered back.

He carried her back inside their home. In the living room he kissed her again before indicating she sit while he paced the room. She watched him intently waiting for him to tell her what had happened in the city. Obviously what he had seen touched him deeply.

"They were imprisoning or killing all of the blood elves in Dalaran," he said quietly. "And the whole time I was there I was thankful you were safe here at home."

"Why would they do that?"

"I do not know the details, only that all Horde members were being purged from the city," Daneel replied. "I am afraid the Kirin Tor is no longer a neutral entity nor will they recognize there are neutral parties in this war."

"Tell me everything," Demira said. She listened to the jedi as he told her of the fighting in the streets, the burned and tattered bodies, the guards escorting families to the Violet Hold. He told her of the conversation with Jaina Proudmore and her attempt to incarcerate him for his involvement with Demira. Her eyes widened when he recalled the fight with the sith in the street and the promise of Kalecgos. She thought back to her earlier conversation with the blue dragon and realized even then he knew something was about to happen in Dalaran. She pieced the parts of the puzzle together and told Daneel of her conversation with the former Aspect and the theft of the ancient artifact. It had to be the trigger to the purge in the city.

"But why would a sith be in Dalaran?" she asked.

"I am not sure," Daneel replied. "He fought like a sith…even felt like a sith in the Force. But his demeanor was almost vampiric. Like his saying he was there to feed…on what? Sith in my experience never acted like that. It was…unnerving."

"There was another sith here at the house today," Demira stated. Daneel stopped in his tracks and looked at her. "He had red skin and was very polite. He was looking for you to ask you a favor."

"A sith? Here? What favor?" Daneel asked.

"He wouldn't tell me," Demira replied. She recalled her conversation with the mysterious visitor. How he was almost angry about the existence of green skinned sith, of his use of the jedi code, and his claim that he followed the jedi way. She recounted the sith's version of how they had arrived on Azeroth.

"That is not unheard of…a sith turning to the light," Daneel said after listening to her. "Pureblood sith do have crimson skin and eyes. If what he told you was true…did he say where and when he wanted to meet with me?"

She shook her head. "Only that his name was Maktai and that what he was doing was for a father's love for a child."

"A father's love for his child…" he repeated.

"Does that mean something? I mean beyond I thought he meant he had a child," Demira asked.

"It might…and he might." He stopped near a window and looked out to the forest beyond. "Demira, have you ever been to Theramore?"

* * *

Demira and Daneel emerged from the portal just outside one of the few remaining walls to the once great city. They looked at the ruins in awe. The devastation from the mana bomb was visible everywhere they looked. Walls and fortifications stood crumbling. Towers were pockmarked from debris thrown by the explosion. And there was no sign of life anywhere around them. Even the plants were dead.

"So why Theramore?" Demira asked from the jedi's side.

"It was not so much that he said a father's love, but that one would go to once mortal enemies for help," Daneel stated. "Where in all of Azeroth could mortal enemies meet and seek help? Plus Jaina Proudmore took over the city after her father was killed. A father's love for a child…a city to call home after the tragedy of Lordaeron."

"It was rumored that Thrall came here often as Warchief to seek help finding peace. He would meet here or close by with Jaina Proudmore. But those were better times for the Horde," Demira sighed. "Garrosh is too hungry for glory."

"But in those better times this was a haven…the site of a peace summit."

"Not necessarily successful or a haven. Theramore was also a staging ground for the Alliance's armies in Kalimdor," Demira countered. "Proudmore was always Alliance despite her efforts at finding peace between the two parties. And Theramore was a major Alliance city. What happened here…to think what she is doing now in Dalaran…to my people…" her voice trailed off.

"Some cope with the horrors of war better than others," Daneel replied compassionately. "One is truly tested when losing someone very close in war. That can change a person for better or for worse. Only time will tell if she can heal from her wounds." He lifted her chin to look into her eyes. "For now we must hope that Kalecgos can uphold his end of the deal with me and lessen the burdens your people now carry."

"But why meet here?" Demira asked. "What is…" her voice trailed as they heard the sounds of lightsabers clashing. Both tensed trying to ascertain where the fighting was. She looked at Daneel and whispered, "I think someone else is here with that Maktai."

"Erect your arcane protection," the jedi whispered back. "I have a feeling we have stepped into an ambush."

She nodded and smiled. "Already done. Try to keep up." She walked past him to the edge of a wall and peered around the corner. She looked back at him. "They are not over here."

Daneel crossed the remnants of the street to the opposite wall and peered around another corner. "Not here either, but the sounds are louder in this direction." They repeated this for a couple of more streets until they came within sight of the blast crater from the mana bomb when Theramore was devastated. Near the center they saw two combatants fighting with crimson bladed lightsabers. One was male with simple black robes with a hood over his head. His single blade deflected the high attack from the other. The two bladed lightsaber was wielded by a woman. She wore a black skirt and halter top with a hood leaving her red skinned midriff bare. She retracted from her attack to bring her blades along the length of her arm slightly behind her back. She reached out with her left hand and lightning sparked from her fingers towards the man. He raised his blade intercepting the electrical attack. Bolts of lightning inched along the blade and his arm. He cried out in pain. The woman stopped her Force attack and brought her blades back into the attack in a whirlwind. The man switched his blade from his injured hand to his good one and tried to deflect the woman's high attack. The blades connected, and the woman pivoted so her back was just in front of the man. She brought her arms down and back…the bottom red blade of her lightsaber impaling the man through the stomach. His lightsaber dropped to the ground. The woman grunted and pulled her blade from her opponent and turned to face him. She said something neither Daneel nor Demira could hear. She extinguished her blades and left the man either dead or dying on the ground. After a few seconds they heard the familiar whine of speeder engines leave the area…the woman had left.

Demira and Daneel cautiously approached the fallen man. Demira gasped as they got closer and she saw his face. "It's him…it's the same sith that came to our house today." His eyes were closed and he appeared dead. Daneel kneeled down and reached forward to check his pulse when the sith's eyes popped open and he grabbed Daneel's arm. He let out a labored breath and red blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. His eyes darted from Daneel to Demira as he released his grip. His hand was shaking.

"Just lie still," Daneel began, "you have been wounded."

The sith looked at him and reached slowly for his belt. From a small pouch he pulled a small object and handed it to the jedi…his eyes pleading. Daneel took the object from the shaking hand. The sith looked at Demira and then at something behind her. His breathing became short and erratic. He looked back at Daneel and let out a short breath. He gripped Daneel's arm again…his hand shaking more violently. "My…m-m-my…d-d-d-daughter," the sith stuttered with his last breath. His grip loosened and then his hand fell to the ground. His eyes looked vacantly at the sky. Daneel stepped back from the body and looked upwards.

"His daughter?" Demira asked quietly to Daneel's side. "I don't understand. Did he mean that was his daughter that attacked him?"

Daneel looked down at the object the sith had given him. "I'm not sure, but perhaps this will tell us."

"What is it?" she asked.

"It appears to be a locator beacon." He activated the device and it pinged. He held it up before him. It pinged again. "I believe what we are looking for is in this direction," he said pointing to his left near a cluster of crumbling buildings.

"What about him? We can't leave his body like this," Demira asked.

"We will bury his body after we find what he felt important for us to find."

Daneel started walking where the locator indicated. The pinging grew more pronounced and frequent as they neared one of the buildings. The jedi held the locator over the wall and scanned the surface until the pinging became a solid beep. He switched the unit off and placed it into a pouch on his belt. Feeling around the bricks of the wall and lines of mortar he found a loose stone and pulled. Behind the stone was a cubbyhole with a holocommunicator inside. Daneel retrieved the device and held it between Demira and himself. He thumbed the contact switch and the unit projected a six inch tall image of the dead sith.

_"Master Jedi,"_ the image began. _"If you are seeing this then I am dead…most_ _likely by the person I am most interested in saving. I am certain by now your friend has told you about our conversation and how I walk the path of light. This was only partially true. I do not regret the deception for it was necessary. What I told her about how we came to be here was true as was the part where myself and a few others split apart from those who drank the demon blood back in our own galaxy. I am neither a servant of the light or the dark…living on this world for the past thirteen hundred years has shown me that there is more gray in the Force than either jedi or sith philosophy teach. Those that drank the blood are corrupted. They not only have the physical signs with the green skin, but they also inherited an insatiable hunger. Where you find war and suffering they will be there as well. They feed off the emotional turmoil of war…of disease…of despair. They are abominations and you must beware them."_ The image looked around him and then back at the projector. _"Three thousand sith came to this world thirteen hundred years ago…and of those twenty-five hundred drank the blood of demons to seal the pact with Sargeras. Since our arrival we have fought an invisible war on this world. Those like myself were appalled at what our brethren had become. We have fought each other over the centuries until only few of us on either side remain. Of the original three thousand sith to land on this world only twenty remain. The green versus the red."_ The sith looked down as if in shame. _"Today only three of us red have survived. That is unless you are seeing this recording then there are only two…my ailing wife and our daughter…and soon there will be only one. My wife suffers from an ailment strange to us and we know of no cure. She is prepared to become one with the Force, so please do not concern yourself with trying to find a cure or save her life. I instead come to you, a jedi, to plead for you to save our daughter. She has…fallen."_ The man looked back at the projector. _"She blames me for her mother's illness…and her pain has turned to anger which has turned to hatred. Master Jedi, you know the path I speak of…"_ he grew silent for a moment and Daneel simply nodded at the holo. _"She has said as much that she seeks to kill me. I do not doubt that soon she will try. I cannot kill my child…and if she attacks me…I will sacrifice myself trying to save her. I do not mean for you to bring her to the light side of the Force…just stop her from falling further to the dark side…and madness."_ The image of the man looked down again and played with something in his hands. The image was not clear what he was holding. He looked back up. _"I have nothing to offer you for helping me, Jedi, except this data packet I will store with this recording. It contains all the information I have on the remaining seventeen corrupted sith on this world. I know you will find it useful for whatever purpose you have in mind for those abominations. Take this data…use it…but first help my daughter…save her from herself."_ The holo blinked off as the message ended.

"So that was his daughter," Demira said after a few moments. "She came here to kill him…and she succeeded." Daneel nodded. "What do you suppose this sickness is that he mentioned that is killing his wife?"

"I do not know," the jedi replied. He looked at the bottom of the holocom. "I cannot find any other data on this device. She must have arrived before he was able to upload it."

"Then it might still be on his body."

They walked back to the sith's body. Daneel kneeled down and searched the man's pockets and pouches. He found nothing like a data packet, but he did find a small piece of cloth with some numbers on it. He stood and handed it to Demira as he looked across the landscape of Theramore.

"What are these…chicken scratches?" the mage asked.

"Coordinates," Daneel answered. "They are written in galactic basic from our galaxy. I believe the location is in Eversong Woods not far from our home."

"I don't like the sound of that," Demira stated. "Any sith in Quel'Thalas is too close for my comfort."

"Let's return home first and start in the morning. It's getting late and both of us have had much happen to us today."

"I hear that," Demira yawned. They buried the sith just outside the old city wall at the base of a tree. Demira then opened a portal back to their home where they planned to rest for the night and check what was located at the coordinates in the morning. Daneel's thoughts mirrored Demira's. Their home in Eversong Woods was his new home on this world, his life with her was a life he cherished…and he did not want anything to jeopardize their happiness or their home. And another thought kept nagging him at the back of his mind…where was the missing data?


	3. The Search for the Wayward Daughter

**_Part Three: Search for the Wayward Daughter_**

Demira and Daneel arrived at the coordinates they found on Maktai's body. He was wearing a light brown tunic and trousers under a traditional brown jedi robe. The mage was wearing a similar outfit to the one she wore when the couple first met. At first glance they saw nothing but a grove of trees near the base of a small mountain. They could find no buildings or even temporary structures. They parked their speeders near a tree…his blue speeder and a matching red one he had aboard his ship and rebuilt for her use. Daneel reached through the Force but could sense nothing. Demira walked to a large boulder nestled against a cliff wall and looked back at the jedi.

"Sense anything?" she asked.

"Nothing."

"And do you see anything unusual?" she said with a smile.

"I cannot," he smiled back. "But I am guessing you have found something."

"Sometimes real sight is better than Force sight. This boulder…it should not be here." She ran her right hand along the surface of the rock. "It's not that it's a different kind of rock…just oddly placed. Its shape is too…perfect…compared to the rest around here. It's too smooth."

Daneel walked next to her. "I can feel a slight resistance in the Force when I try to reach out to the boulder."

"Like an arcane resistance? Then it must be conjured. But I thought the sith used the force and could not therefore use arcane magics." Demira leaned closer and examined the rock more closely. "You think he might have had someone local assisting him in making this little hideout?"

"If he did then that person would be of no help to us. In my experience the sith don't leave witnesses," Daneel replied. "There must be a manual way get past the boulder…like a lever or a switch." He started looking at the area just left of the boulder.

"You mean he would have killed them," Demira stated as she searched the area just to the right of the boulder. "Have the jedi ever done something similar?"

"We would normally build such things ourselves or by very trustworthy people, like those who came to the academy but did not succeed during the trials. But The Force does have an affect on the weak-minded and a slight suggestion could cause a person to forget what they saw or did, but that is not something often used."

"Have you ever you used that technique on me?" she asked with her hands on her hips.

"You are too strong willed," he replied still searching. "Plus I have never seen the need to even try."

"Even during sex?"

"Especially during sex," Daneel said with a smile. "Your orgasms are so intense and frequent you make me cum with you."

"Blah," she replied looking back at the wall of stone. "So these sith kill the witnesses. I wonder…" her voice trailed off.

"What is it?" he asked when she stopped looking and crossed her arms over her chest. He walked over to stand next to her. "I sense an idea forming in your head."

"I thought you said you never even tried that technique on me," she gasped as she looked at him.

"Still don't…your body language and tone of voice tells me you have a thought about what is happening here…so spit it out."

Demira rolled her eyes at him and pointed to the stone. "I don't think that stone is conjured at all. I think it was crafted. But you sensed something arcane. What if there was a spell to hide the trigger?" She whispered an incantation and frowned. "Well…that didn't work."

"You thought there was something like a glamour present?"

"That spell I just incanted should have removed any glamour or other spell used to hide something." Her brow furrowed as she looked at the cliff more intensely. "Couldn't you just do that force lifting thing you do?"

"I already tried that," he replied sheepishly. "I figured the arcane magic was what was blocking me. But if the magic is hiding the trigger, then I am not sure what is blocking me from lifting the stone or simply moving it."

"Then it has to be…." she walked to the boulder and placed her hand back on it. She whispered her incantation again. The surface of the boulder changed to reveal a steel door set into the cliff wall. Beside it was a digital panel with a keypad. "If you couldn't lift it then I figured the rock itself was the glamour," she said proudly turning to look at the jedi. "Now it's your turn."

"If I only knew the pass code," Daneel replied. "It's a locking mechanism that is safeguarded against lightsabers. I could destroy the keypad, but it will not open the door."

"Can't you bypass it? I mean…it's technology like you are used to."

"I was never good at slicing things," he admitted with a shrug. He walked to the panel and entered some numbers. "The coordinates do not work. And there are letters here…the possible combinations are astronomical."

Demira sighed beside him and furrowed her brow again. "Maybe he told us the code and we just don't recognize it. Try using some of the words or phrases he told us in the holo."

Daneel tried the words red, then green, then red versus green, then Sargeras, and a host of other words he could think of, but the door would not open. "I am guessing it's the name of his daughter which he failed to mention."

"Or his ailing wife…or…"she stopped and brought her hands to her mouth. "Enter his name! Remember he said that not everything he told me was true. He never mentioned his own name in the holo or before he died. We just called him 'Maktai' because he told me that was his name while he was at our house, but what if that was not his name after all…it's the door code!"

"Let's find out," the jedi replied while entering the name into the security panel. With a hiss the door slid slowly open. The air coming from inside was cold and stale. "Good job," he said turning to Demira. She was smiling. "I would not have guessed that part."

"Yeah…I have my moments," she stated with pride…then her smile waned. "But this still doesn't explain the glamour in front of the door."

"I think the air coming from inside does," Daneel answered. "It's old and stale like this has not been used in some time…like finding a vessel in space that has been…sorry…bad analogy. I'll just say it's not been used in…I might suggest years or even decades."

"So then we have nothing to fear from inside?" Demira asked.

"I wouldn't say that just yet. There might be automated traps or other hidden pratfalls to catch the unwary. We need to be cautious."

She nodded and pointed to the door. "Age before beauty?" she giggled.

"Ha ha," he chuckled. "You are both of those things." He stepped into the doorway and investigated the walls along the sides. "The panels in here are simple open and close mechanisms…no security pass codes needed from this side. So when the door closes we should be safe from intruders from out here."

They entered the doorway and Daneel closed the door behind them. Demira conjured a torch to provide light in the dark tunnel. They walked for about fifty yards until it opened into a larger square room. The room itself was mainly empty, but from each corner branched more hallways. They followed them one by one finding living quarters at the end of three of the four with a lift at the end of the last hallway. They discovered the lift had access to ten more floors. The next seven were much like the ground floor, but the uppermost had air more fresh and signs it had been used very recently. Demira voiced she thought this last part odd, but Daneel was already forming a theory about why this floor had seen recent activity. They had two more floors according to the lift controls. At the next floor they walked into an immense storage area. They examined crates of equipment and food stuffs. Nulentropy canisters lined every outside wall and with almost perfect corridors in the interior of the room for ease of access to each one. Daneel whistled at the age of some of the crates. They dated to the time when the sith claimed to have arrived on Azeroth…and the Great Hyperspace War.

"I think this was the base for the reds," Daneel finally revealed to Demira. "If my hunch is correct the top floor might be a hanger."

"For what?" she asked.

"Their speeders for starters. His daughter left Theramore on one…probably his." Daneel walked to the lift and stopped. "There might be more up there as well. It would be easier to hide a large door on the side of the mountain. I doubt even the dragons would even bother to notice a concealed hanger door up this high."

"More…like a ship? Something big like your ship?"

"Mine would not be large enough to house the five hundred reds he mentioned let alone the three thousand that came to Azeroth. But it might be a shuttle." He turned to her. "If they kept their ship…their main ship they came here on…in operation it could hold its orbit for uncounted years. To keep the orbit from decaying they would use a shuttle to periodically fly to it and adjust its course."

"And resupply themselves when they ran low here on the surface of the planet," Demira added. "I've wondered how there has never been a record of finding a large shipwreck ever since Maktai…or whatever his real name was…mentioned it before. I mean…it could've crashed into the ocean, but if it had then how did all those sith survive?"

"Great minds think alike," the jedi said. She cocked her head to the side. "I was thinking the same thing," Daneel added.

They took the lift to the top floor and walked into an immense hanger. As Daneel suspected there was a shuttle sitting in the middle of the floor. Lined along the far wall were thirty speeders. Above the shuttle was the main door leading out of the mountainside. There were also a couple of wide tunnels leaving the sides of the rooms. They followed one to another door leading outside. These apparently were for use with the speeders. When they returned to the main hanger they were welcomed by an unsuspected guest…the sith's daughter was standing near the boarding ramp to the shuttle. She watched them but made no threatening moves.

"I see you two found your way to my father's lair," the woman's melodic voice stated. "I suppose you came here answering his plea to save me?" She walked over to sit on a crate nearby. Daneel noticed she was thin like a sin'dorei, but the red skin on her hands and exposed stomach told him she was a pureblood sith like her father. "His message said I was falling to the dark side…didn't it?"

"We witnessed you fight with him in Theramore," Demira stated. "You killed your own father!"

"I killed a monster," the woman replied calmly. She reached up and moved her hood down to reveal her face. Her features were smooth lacking the facial tentacles common with most sith. Her straight black hair fell loosely to her shoulders framing an elegant face. She smiled at the pair standing a few yards away. "I am not falling to the dark side of the Force I assure you." She looked directly at Daneel. "I felt your presence back at that place, but I had no reason to confront you…you are not my enemy."

"Then why would your father ask me to save you?" Daneel asked matching the sith woman's calm demeanor.

"That's easier to explain elsewhere than here," she answered coolly. "If you both board the shuttle I can take you there and let you see with your own eyes the kind of monster my father really was."

"Why should we trust you?" Demira asked. She was not as calm as Daneel. The woman's sudden appearance was unnerving, and Demira was not as practiced at masking her feelings as well as the jedi master standing beside her. "You might just want to lull us into trusting you so you can kill us like you did your father."

"You can bind and gag me if you like," the sith replied with a smile. "You can even sedate me. The controls on the shuttle should be easy for your jedi friend to operate." She stood and her smile waned. "But believe me, if I wanted to you dead I could have easily killed you this morning in your home while you were fucking."

Demira lurched forward only to be grabbed by Daneel around the waist. Her arms and legs swung in the air as she tried to free herself. "Let go of me…I'll kill her for spying on our home!"

"Calm down, Demira," Daneel said quietly. "She is trying to goad you…that is the sith way. Remember there is no emotion…"

"There is no emotion my ass!" the mage exclaimed. She held out her right hand and a ball of flame appeared and flew across the room towards the sith.

"Quite the temper," the woman stated as she sidestepped the fireball. "You really must learn to control your anger." She sat down on the crate. "Especially since I was never actually at your home. I simply guessed you had sex this morning." The smile returned to the sith's face. "I mean…it was no secret to my father that you two were more than just living together. But you must learn to govern your emotions when you face the greens. You think my little trick was bad…you have a surprise ahead of you."

Demira relaxed in Daneel's arms, but she did not stop seething at the sith sitting calmly near the shuttle. Daneel kept his arms around the mage's waist. "So why the game? Why play the typical sith if you claim to not follow the dark side?" Daneel asked.

The sith frowned…sadness etched her elegant features. "Because what I am about to show you will make you angry…even you jedi." She looked at Demira…and for the first time showed a sincere emotion…shame. "To you specifically, elf, I apologize now for what you are about to witness. The jedi was right in deducing that the original ship my people used to reach this world orbits above us." She then looked at the jedi. "What you do not know of are the horrors…the atrocities…that my monster of a father performed on that…" her voice trailed off.

"Just what is on that ship?" Daneel asked.

"My father's…experiments," the sith replied quietly. "His playthings."

* * *

They let the sith pilot the shuttle to the warship waiting in orbit. In thirteen hundred years Daneel noticed sith ship design had changed very little. It was the same wedge shape he was familiar with in the most recent war between the Republic and the Sith Empire. Demira sat beside him in wonderment seeing Azeroth for the first time from orbit. Periodically she would tug on Daneel's sleeve and point down at her world. When they flew over the Maelstrom she gasped at the shear size of it. The sith said nothing during their trip. She simply maneuvered the controls and brought them into the docking bay on the underside of the behemoth. Once the bay doors were closed and secured she opened the hatch to extend the ramp allowing them to leave the shuttle. The party said nothing as the sith led them down one corridor after another, from one lift to another going from level to level. Daneel noticed most of the ship was dark and some sections had been sealed off…possibly for centuries. The thrumming along the deckplates and walls was also different than normal ship engines. He theorized this was from the augmentations Sargeras had made to the ship as part of his deal to bring the sith to Azeroth. Beside him Demira shivered from the cold air and he took off his robe and placed it around her shoulders. She smiled back and wrapped it around herself. Finally the woman led them to a chamber blocked by doors as large as the docking bay doors. She stepped to a control panel on the side of one of the massive doors.

"Inside you will find some of the answers you seek," the woman said. "I cannot go in myself…my revulsion is too great. I will wait here in the corridor while you explore my father's laboratories."

"What will we find inside?" Demira asked holding onto Daneel's arm.

"Your worst nightmares," the sith replied. She turned and walked down the corridor to a small room and sat in a meditative posture. She closed her eyes and held her arms on her knees with palms facing upwards.

Demira and Daneel stepped through the doors. After a few feet the sensors detected their presence and activated the lights. They flickered on row by row until the whole room was lit. It was the same size as a shuttle bay being some two hundred yards on each side and three decks high. Periodically along the outer walls were doors leading to other chambers. In their immediate area was numerous carbonite units arranged carefully like in a warehouse. They were arranged in rows and columns stretching from the floor to the ceiling and for the first fifty yards of the room. Demira gasped not fully grasping what she was looking at, but she recognized the faces of sin'dorei, orcs, tauren, humans, gnomes, dwarves, and many other races from Azeroth.

"Are these statues?" she asked Daneel squeezing his arm tighter. The faces looked like stone to her, and with some twisted in expressions of agony she was hoping they were just creations of a really bad artist.

"They are living beings encased in a substance called carbonite," Daneel replied quietly. "See the lights on the sides of the units? Those that are blinking means the being inside is still alive."

Demira shuddered. The pain she was afraid some must be feeling. "Are they…aware?" she asked staring at one with a sin'dorei. The woman's face appeared caught in mid scream. He hands clenched just in front of her chest, restricted from the binds visible on her arms that apparently went behind the woman's back but could not be seen from the front.

"They are in a deep sleep," the jedi replied. "The way you see them now was how they were when the freezing process began." He stepped in front of Demira and put his hand on her cheek. She looked up into his face. "Perhaps you should wait in the corridor with the sith woman. You do not need to see this or what else might be in here."

"I have seen the ravages of the Burning Legion," she began with a tear in her eye, "and what the Scourge did to my people. I have seen horrors before." Her eyes darted to his mouth then back to his eye covering. "I need to see this," she whispered. "To better understand…"

"Yes?"

"To better understand the world…worlds…you come from. I want to see what you faced in your war." She reached up with her hand and touched his cheek. "Today I have seen my home in a way no one else on Azeroth has seen it. When you told me you were on a world that had been destroyed from above I thought I understood, but today coming up on the shuttle I realized I did not fully understand what you meant." She looked down at his chin. "I still cannot grasp what Azeroth would look like completely devastated as how you described that other world. Such a scale of destruction is much too staggering for me to comprehend, but you have seen it firsthand." She looked back up to where his eyes should be. "My world's wars and tribulations now seem so small compared to the conflicts you have seen and fought in."

"War is war, Demira," he replied quietly. "The larger things you are thinking of right now are horrible that is true, but the ones I remember the most…that haunt my nightmares…are those I saw face to face. The child orphaned, the parent holding a dead baby in their arms, people starving because their farms have been destroyed by fire or some other weapon of destruction. These are the things about war that leave scars…and you have seen just as much or more than I. Do not let something like scale diminish what you have seen and accomplished."

She nodded. "Thank you," she whispered. She looked back at the carbonite units hanging around them. "I am ready to see what there is in this place."

"Are you certain?" he asked. "What I think we are about to see has nothing to do with war."

"How so?" she asked. "What do expect us to find in there?"

"A slaughterhouse."

After a few minutes standing there quietly she readjusted to holding his arm and nodded she was ready. The walked slowly along the rows of carbonite units….some with lights blinking…others with no lights. After the hanging units the room opened into a typical laboratory. There were computer terminals aligned opposite centrifuges for DNA and other samples testing. Microscopes and probes lined up another row of tables. Beakers and jars lined yet another row. On these they saw labels for different organs from the non-sentient creatures of Azeroth. Demira said nothing instead holding tighter to Daneel's arm. They walked to one of the computer terminals with two chairs and sat before the unit. Daneel reached forward with his free hand and activated the terminal. The monitor before them displayed the various bits of data the computer stored. Daneel searched for the earliest vids expecting the sith calling himself Maktai to have kept a visual record of what he was doing here. After another minute he found the files and activated what appeared to be the oldest entry. The vid began its playback on a nearby screen, and Demira's eyes were drawn to the familiar face from the day before.

_"We have been on this world for two years now,"_ the sith began, _"and yet we are still no closer to understanding the augmentations made to the ship's engines or the_ _navicomputer."_ Demira felt herself drawn into the voice as if she was listening to him speaking in the very room she was sitting in. He walked around one of the tables and stood next the centrifuge sitting atop it. _"We must proceed on the assumption that we will_ _never get home._ _As such I, Lord Varok, have decided to begin these recordings with the basis of our arrival to this small world as year one. This is now year three on the new calendar. Myself and the other top lords have stayed aboard the _Vindictive_ while our underlings ravage the world below. It is such a primitive world I am surprised this Sargeras is even concerned with it considering the technological prowess he exercised to bring us here." _He walked back around the table and sat before the computer station_. "We were right not to trust him fully. By having our underlings partake in the drinking of whatever that foul concoction was we lords have remained free of the taint that turns their skin green. We have also maintained our free will which I am sure by now Sargeras has discovered. He thought he was dealing with the masters, but we had our apprentices masquerade in our place so we could gain the full power that rightfully belongs to us. Fools were we that we did not keep some of our best engineers free of the taint as well, then perhaps we would have an answer to what makes the engines work as they do."_ He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. _"But all of that is now moot. Sargeras, safe to say, has left us to our own devices. We have not answered his call as he intended, and he has no power to enact his vengeance upon us. In fact it would appear that he has forgotten about us entirely. This leaves us with the only option left which is to take control of this world the locals call Azeroth. This world's only endearing quality is the wide variety of species living on the surface. A fascinating marvel this world is. We have brought up some samples of the different species and began experimenting on them._

_"The most powerful, and yet disappointingly also the most reclusive, are called elves. There are two subsets to this race. One subset has darker skin and glowing eyes either white or golden. They are mostly nocturnal and unbelievably worship their moon considering it a goddess. Their lifespan is what I find intriguing spanning thousands of years. They are under the belief that they are immortal. While this is completely absurd I can understand their reasoning given their abnormally long life. The other subset lives just long as the other, but where the previous has darker toned skin these are much lighter and they all have green glowing eyes. They are also quite opposite in that they live during the day and worship their sun. This is a dichotomy I must research further. Note in the log to examine these elves more closely. _

_"There are also humans on this world which is fascinating. While on this world they are very primitive with a preindustrial technology, they are gaining a prominence on their world that will be worth following. Since we have some sith lords of the human species amongst our ranks it should prove quite simple to mingle with the natives."_

Daneel stopped the vid and started playing another one. Demira looked at him but said nothing.

_"Year one hundred thirteen…the war with the underlings, who we have come to simply call the 'greens' has escalated. Lords Malice and Narcis have been studying why we have not aged since our arrival. A pleasant side effect to have our lifespan extended."_ The sith was sitting in front of the terminal in a white lab coat. _"The greens have begun actively seeking a way to return to the _Vindictive_. As such we have limited our shuttle activity to and from the planet's surface. Lord Seurat also informs me that our supplies aboard are becoming limited. If we stay as we are our supplies will run out in two centuries. While in the past that would not have concerned me, we now are living longer and this has become an issue we must address. I have assigned two scout teams of lesser lords to scour the surface for a suitable place to inhabit. Most of the greens have inhabited the western continent of this world, so I have instructed them to concentrate on the eastern continent. _

_"Of a more personal concern is my daughter. During this first century we have not shown any signs of the taint that has overcome our underlings. The taint manifests itself changing the normally red pigment to green. There is also become an inherent lust…almost a hunger…to relish in the anguish and torment of others. While this is not outside the parameters of the sith code or beliefs, these 'greens' have become something different. They do not relish the torment of others to gain power, but instead more akin to feeding an addiction. You will find them more in concentration around spouts of war, famine, and plague amongst the surface natives. As I stated, those of us who did not drink Sargeras' concoction have shown none of these effects until now. My own daughter has developed a skin rash. Upon examination of one such concentration on her back I noticed the skin underneath the lesion was…green. I have withheld this information from her and the others, but I fear that she might be turning into one of them. And if she…my own flesh and blood…the strongest amongst us left pure…is susceptible to this taint, then we as a species are doomed." _

The vid ended. Daneel looked for the next one in chronological order. "Interesting," he said.

"What?" Demira asked beside him fascinating by what she was seeing.

"The next entry…it is centuries later. Why the huge time gap?"

"Well…play it and maybe it will shed some light on that question," the mage replied anxious to see more. This was a part of her world's history unseen by the inhabitants of Azeroth.

Daneel punched the command to play the next vid. On the screen was the same sith in a white lab coat arguing with another who appeared a decade younger wearing a black hoodless robe.

_"I do not understand why it keeps showing up! Time and again the taint manifests yet none of the rest of us has it." _Lord Varok told the other sith.

_"Maybe it's because her mother was human," _came the reply._ "You should give up this nonsense and focus your attention on the conflict with the greens."_

_"But this is my daughter we are talking about,"_ Varok replied. _"There is nothing more important than her." _

_"This is not even your daughter! She has been dead for over four hundred years. You are obsessing with clones!" _Seurat turned his back to Varok. _"The greens are decimating us. They have not found the base, but sooner or later they will. They may be less than sith, but they are not stupid." _He turned back to face Varok. _"As I see it…with your obsession over your long lost daughter and the onslaught of the greens you are no longer fit to be our leader."_ His lightsaber ignited…its blade a crimson standing out against the predominant white of the laboratory.

_"You seek to challenge me, Seurat?"_

_"You spend more time on this ship than necessary,"_ Seurat replied_. "You obsess over the dead. We no longer live by the sith code. This must end…and it ends with you. I will bring us back to what we are meant to be…true sith!" _He started forward and stopped. His lightsaber dropped to the ground as he brought both hands to his neck.

_"Such impudence!"_ Varok growled. "You _think you know what it means to be sith? You do not even have the slightest notion what being sith is!" _Varok's hand was outstretched before him. Several feet away Seurat choked…his eyes bulging. _"I am what it means to be sith…I decide what we do and how we do it. I hold the power here, boy!"_ He brought up his other hand. _"Now you will feel what a sith…a real sith…can do!"_ Lightning arched from his fingers engulfing Seurat. The other tried to scream, but his breath was still being choked from him by the invisible grip of Varok. His robes smoldered as the lightning began to cook his flesh. His legs began to flail and then after a few seconds his body went limp. His arms dropped to his sides, but his body still hung in the air. _"I am sith! I am eternal! And soon so will my daughter who will rule this world at_ _my side!"_ Varok screamed. Then the screen went dark.

"What was that all about?" Demira asked staring wide-eyed at the monitor. "Is that even the same man?"

"I believe he might have possibly gone insane," Daneel replied.

"That other one he killed. He said his daughter had been dead four centuries. If his daughter was still alive during the one he said was year one hundred thirteen, then this would be about five hundred years after they arrived….about eight hundred years ago." Demira looked behind her at the laboratory. "But where was that taken? The lab in that was white, but this place and the one in the first two vids were not that white."

"It seems we have a mystery. Perhaps viewing more of these vids might shed some light."

"Or add more questions," Demira countered.

Daneel shrugged his shoulders and keyed up the next vid on the list. The sith sitting before the camera was not Lord Varok as they had been watching, but a woman. Her black hair was tied into a ponytail, and her features smoother than normal for a pureblood sith. She was sitting in the laboratory as it was currently.

_"This is year seven hundred ninety-three. My husband is on the surface hunting the greens. Varok means well, but I think the pressures of the failures have finally gotten to him."_ She stopped talking and looked to her side in the direction of the main doors. _"Although I miss our daughter I have never been able to accept these clones as her. And now he has begun claiming my human half the reason for the death of our daughter." _She looked back at the monitor_. "She did not die of the taint nor would she ever have. But he could not live with a daughter suffering from an ailment. So he killed her…killed her in her sleep. He did not even allow her to fight as a sith deserves. And now he makes these clones in the hopes to have her back. And each one has been a more dismal failure than the previous." _She sighed. _"But this is not why I have come to the labs today. I know he never watches these. But I hope that someday another sith might see these recordings and know what happened to us. You see…we are becoming as you are now…green skinned. The taint is unavoidable."_ She lifted her arm into view of the monitor and pulled her sleeve back exposing green skin under peeling red skin. _"It has taken time, but the taint eventually manifests itself in us. Varok may be right that I am susceptible because of my human half, but there are others…Lord Narcis in particular…who are pureblood sith and yet still have the symptoms."_ She put her arm down and looked downwards from the monitor. _"There are many days since our arrival I wonder if coming here was the right decision. It's been over seven hundred years since the war. I often wonder if the jedi annihilated all of the sith back home. Did some of our kind survive? Could we have avoided the jedi if we had stayed and hid on some remote world?" _She looked up at the screen. _"I believe now that it would have been better to have tried and died than to take the deal we made with Sargeras. Living like this…"_ The screen blacked out.

"What happened?" Demira asked. "What was she going to say?"

"I don't know," Daneel replied. His fingers worked on the keyboard.

"Well…bring it back on. I want to see the rest of what she was going to say. She sounded like they were regretting their decision to deal with Sargeras."

"Most of the file is corrupted. I cannot get the rest to play. I am afraid that is the last of that particular vid we can see."

Demira slumped in her chair. "That sucks!"

"Let me see what else I can find. Ah…here is one close to that time frame." Daneel punched a few more keys. "I wonder what this vid has."

Lord Varok appeared on the screen before them. He was sitting in the chair facing the monitor. Behind him was another sith they had not seen before. _"What is it you want of me?" _Varok asked the other.

_"My lord, the greens have taken over the base on the surface,"_ the other replied.

_"And how did this happen? We are sith…they are not." _He stood and turned to face the other sith. _"Explain yourself."_

_"My lord, they came upon us riding the backs of black dragons. They entered from the top of the base. My lord…the greens outnumbered us four to one."_

_"So the black dragonflight has sided with the greens? Is that what you are trying to tell me?"_

_"No, my lord. We think they must have gotten these as whelps and raised them in secret."_

_"How is that even possible? The greens are simpletons!"_ Lightning arched from his fingers and struck the other in the chest. _"You mean to tell me that corrupted greens are more powerful than pure sith?" _The other sith writhed in agony. _"I do not reward failure!" _He poured more lighting into his attack. From the side and away from the view of the monitor a piece of metal flew into view and struck Varok's hand. He looked in the direction of the attack ceasing his own. The beleaguered sith slumped down and out of view. _"What is the meaning of this?"_ Varok shouted.

_"You think after eight hundred fifty years that the greens have gone inept?"_ came a male voice from off screen. _"Quite the opposite! They have grown more shrewd and vindictive. During that time we have lost one fifth our number…."_

_"And they have lost more,"_ Varok countered. _"They started at twenty-five hundred. Today they have only sixteen hundred."_

_"And after today we have only two hundred of us,"_ the voice replied. _"You have spent too much time here on this ship and not enough with the rest of us. You are no longer fit to lead and have not been for quite some time." _

_"And you think you have the power to stop me?"_ Varok snarled.

_"I don't even have to try,"_ the voice replied. _"We who have survived this day have decided to no longer hear anything you have to say. You have no power where none will listen." _

_"You will not survive long without my leadership,"_ Varok growled.

_"We have survived this long without it already,"_ the voice countered. _"The sith are no more save you. We have given up the old ways…and we will not return to them."_ The man stepped into the view of the monitor. Demira gasped beside Daneel…the man was human. _"I have taken the holocrons stolen during the war with the Republic. We must adapt to survive on this world. We will abandon our technology and live as the natives. And we will survive."_

Varok's hands dropped to his sides. _"Lord Maktai, you cannot do this to me."_

The man who owned the name Maktai…a familiar name to Demira and Daneel…smiled to the sith. _"It is done."_ He turned and walked away from the view of the monitor. _"Maybe those ten who are still loyal to you will learn the folly of their decision. If that day comes when they do, we will welcome them…on our terms."_

Varok slumped back into the chair and stared at the deck. _"You cannot abandon me. I am Lord Varok…I am your emperor…I am…"_

_"You are nothing,"_ Maktai's voice replied from a distance.

The screen went dark. Demira looked at Daneel. "Could this mean that when he said there was only three left…he was not counting the others?"

"I believe it is with what we know so far," Daneel replied. "Although I would not say that for certain yet. This last event happened almost exactly five hundred years ago. A lot has happened on Azeroth since that time."

"Let's see what the rest of these have to show us. Right now I am not impressed with this Varok. And he fits more with what that woman has told us than the man I met yesterday. This one seems…unhinged," Demira stated.

Daneel nodded and keyed up the next vid.

Lord Varok sat before the monitor. His hair was disheveled and appeared to have not bathed in days. His white lab coat was covered in red and brown smudges. _"I am alone,"_ he rasped. _"The others have all left me…including my wife. After the destruction of the original surface base we built a new one in what is called Eversong Woods near the home of the sin'dorei elves. That took us over two years to build…scavenging what we could from aboard the _Vindictive. _For the past three hundred years we had made it a home and raised families. We had also begun building droids to help with security around the base and securing specimens from around the globe. Those proved ultimately a failure. _

_"The base itself is also closed off. The rest, some twenty individuals including my wife, had left into the world to find what they considered a new beginning. They had grown soft and weak. I found their bodies yesterday some twenty leagues from here. They had been ambushed and killed by trolls native to the area. I procured my wife's remains, and I plan to implement a plan to bring my daughter back. Previous attempts at cloning have met with failure. I believe another option will prove viable to restoring my daughter. I have also begun to procure more specimens from the world. The task is tedious and will require a large amount of time. To help with this process I have reactivated the carbonite freezing units aboard this vessel to prolong the value of the specimens I acquire. I believe the secret to curing this taint of Sargeras' lies in the local inhabitants. I finally understand why he values this world."_

"That's the last of them," Daneel said after the vid ended. "The rest of the files in the computer are corrupted or missing large amounts of data."

"So that's it? This was still two hundred years ago! What has he been doing since then? And he is still talking nonsense."

"Apparently the others thought as well including his wife," Daneel answered. "But I wonder what he did with her remains? We know he was successful in garnering his 'specimens' as they are near the entrance to this facility. And he has been doing such since this last recording. Didn't the orcs, ogres, and draenei come from another world in recent years?"

"Less than fifty years," she replied. "And he seems to have captured quite a few of them. I have to wonder why the change to an interest in orcs."

"Because they have green skin," the sith's voice came from behind them. They turned to face her. She was standing a few feet away with her arms wrapped around her waist and hood pulled back over her head. "He took an interest in any species that had been changed…or individuals who showed a change after a cataclysmic event. He sought a cure for what he thought was a disease. It was never a disease in the common sense of understanding." She walked over to a stool by one of the tables and sat down with her arms still wrapped around her waist. "Taking the demon's blood altered the DNA of the person. In the case of the orcs their skin turned green and they received a heightened bloodlust. For the sith the skin also changed, but their other change was a hunger for the emotions they relied upon for their power. The sin'dorei it was the change in their eyes and a heightened addiction to arcane energies. All this my father theorized but could not definitively prove." She swallowed hard then took a deep breath. "As for what he did with my mother…he made clones of her to test his various stages of a cure." She looked at Demira. "For you I would suggest you go no further into this cave of depravity."

"Why?" the mage asked. "What else is in here?"

"I think I know," Daneel said beside her and reached over to hold her hand. "If he was taking 'specimens' then he was also testing on them. I am guessing the other rooms are the various testing chambers including at least one autopsy room."

"And as you saw in the last vid he was not the cleanest these past two centuries." She looked again at the mage. "And what is in there is worse than anything seen during the attacks of the Burning Legion or the Scourge. What exist in those rooms are…mutilations." She wrapped her arms tighter around her waist. "As to what he did to my mother's various clones…they are still lined in stasis in another room not far from here. I will not show you but simply tell you that once he thought he had found a cure he raped the surviving clone to conceive me. Then while still a zygote he manipulated my DNA to match his long dead daughter."

"But you are still his daughter?" Demira asked. "I don't know what a clone is, but…"

"I don't know what I am," the sith replied. "I call him father because I never knew him by any other name. And he always called me his daughter, Selene. But I am not Selene. The real Selene died centuries ago."

"I don't understand," Demira reiterated. "I don't know what a clone is…or DNA." She looked at Daneel. "What are these things?"

"DNA is the basis of what makes you look and appear as you are," Daneel tried to answer. "It is the basic fundamental of what makes you a woman, your hair to be a certain color, you height…how you look. It has two parts of which half comes from your mother and half from your father. That's why you have characteristics of both your parents."

"Ok…I think," Demira replied. "But what is a clone?"

"You can take the DNA of a person and copy it," the sith answered. "With that copy you can create another version of it…another person."

"But that copy is only the physical parts," Daneel added. "It does not copy the essence of that person. What makes you…you. Your personality, your likes and dislikes. I would say almost like twins. Both can appear to be identical but have widely different personalities."

"But the clone would be a created twin?" Demira asked.

"A simple of way of putting it I suppose," Daneel replied. "I am not well versed in such knowledge so I am afraid what I have been telling you may be false or inaccurate."

"Accurate enough," the sith replied. "I may look like Selene. I may even sound like her, but I have seen vids of her…and I do not move like her. I do not think like her…and I am not her." She looked down at the floor trying to wrap her arms tighter. "I was never supposed to know any of this. I was never here…on this ship…until about a month ago." She hesitated then took a deep breath. "My father left for some trip looking for a mage. He said something that she had survived a horrific magic attack and her appearance had been altered. He had been studying her for a time, but as much as he wanted to 'collect' her he could never get close enough. I understand she is a person of high standing on this world." She shook her head and sighed. "But back to the point…while he was away I was searching and found the base in Eversong Woods. When I saw the shuttle I…remembered how to fly it."

"But if you never saw it before then how did you remember how to fly it?" Demira asked.

"Implanted memories," Daneel whispered. "Part of what he was doing to her while she was still in her mother's womb."

"Oh," Demira mouthed back.

"Some of Selene's memories came flooding into my consciousness," the woman continued. "I began to remember the flight from the battle over Korriban with the Republic. The destruction of Ludo Kressh's ship…and then Naga Sadow's…and the Republic pursuing us deeper into sith space. Then my father telling us he had found a way to save us from the Republic and the jedi. I remember my husband drinking this stuff…not my husband but Selene's husband. He turned green… I remember…crying." She sighed again. "But those were not my memories. So I got on the shuttle. I knew how to fly it. The coordinates were already entered into the navicomputer from so many trips over the centuries. I came here to this ship…and found this place. I played the vids just as you did. I cried for hours…mostly because I was confused and did not know what to think. I felt lost." She looked back at them. Demira and Daneel both noticed her wet cheeks from recent tears. "I eventually returned to the surface and back home. Father was waiting for me. I didn't even wait for him to speak…I just threw one of the data discs at him and told him I would kill him for what he had done. Then I stormed out of the house and stole my speeder."

"And all this time you did not have a clue what your father was doing?" Daneel asked.

"We were avoiding the greens," the woman answered. "But I have always had a rebellious streak. When I was ten I found some old relics hidden away in a chest. I took one and touched it. Before I could blink my mind was filled with the vision of a beautiful woman wearing brown robes. She called herself a jedi and spoke of things I had never heard. I kept that holocron for years learning from it. I learned that I had more in common with the jedi way of thinking than I ever did of my father's."

"So you follow the light?" Demira asked.

"I did…until a year ago," the woman replied. "Then I discovered this." She reached up with her right hand and pulled down on the collar of her top exposing her cleavage. Directly in the middle between her breasts was a patch of peeling red skin…with green beneath it. "As I said there is no cure for what is not truly a disease." She moved her hand back to her embrace of her waist, her collar moving back into its previous position around her neck. "I showed this to my father, and I remember the look of horror on his face. It was brief and only a fraction of a second, but it was there and I saw it. He assured me it was nothing. That night I went to sleep and woke up a month later. At first I did not realize the vast amount of time until the snows came sooner than normal. When I told him about this he said I was imagining things. But through the Force I sensed he was lying to me. So I decided to be deceitful and get the answers he would not tell me truthfully. The more I discovered the angrier I became at his betrayal. And then I found the shuttle as I told you before."

"Why tell us all of this? Demira asked.

"Because I intend to end his legacy on this world once and for all," the woman hissed. She stood and let her hands fall to her sides. "The data packet he promised I stole. I know where the last seventeen greens are and I will destroy them."

"Don't you mean eighteen?" Daneel asked while standing up himself.

"The one you winged in Dalaran I found earlier this morning. I finished what you began…only I did not stop with taking his arm." Her hands balled into fists. 'I will hunt every last one of them down and end this farce of an existence once and for all. They should have died over Korriban…or some other world in the old sith empire. And I should not even exist! And after I have killed the last of them I will return to this ship."

"And do what?" Daneel pressed. "What then once your need for vengeance is fulfilled? What do you plan to do…continue in your father's footsteps? Take over the ship and his experiments?"

"I will destroy it!" she yelled. "I will pilot the ship into this world's sun ending all this madness forever! His legacy will be lost for all eternity!"

"You will destroy yourself as well," Daneel said calmly.

The sith woman looked at him and her fists unclenched. She breathed deeply then smiled. "But don't you understand? I am the biggest part of his legacy. All the people he kidnapped and tortured over the centuries…and these people frozen in agony hanging in this very room was to…in the end…create me…a lie." She relaxed and again wrapped her arms around her waist and sat back against the stool. "I will fly you back to the surface and then leave to finish my mandate. I know where the greens are and will destroy them. Father was right about one thing…they are diminished from what they were before, but they are clever…and so am I." She smiled at the couple. "I will tell you that you were right about Maktai and his followers five hundred years ago. They were not counted in father's final tally of reds and greens. Once they left him he considered them dead. And yet over the past fifty years they have done more to kill off the greens than father ever imagined. Maktai's people simply fostered the idea that the greens were another form of demon never seen before. Many of them were killed during the attacks of the Burning Legion. They fell in battle next to demons as the people of the Horde and Alliance didn't perceive them to be anything different than another kind of demon to kill. Later during the Scourge even more fell as they again looked like demons or another form of undead. It was quite a brilliant stroke of genius on his part if you ask me."

"Are Maktai or any of his people still alive then?" Demira asked.

"My guess…you have already met some of them," the woman replied smiling. "Most of them are human so they can fit into Alliance society very easily. Those that are sith have stayed in hiding or seclusion. As populated as this world is there are still many places never seen by its inhabitants. They live happy and peaceful lives on this world. And while I regret the legacy my father left, those people I do not and will not harm. I no longer consider them a part of my father's legacy…his plague upon this world."

"But I still do not understand why he wanted Daneel to save you," Demira said.

"He didn't mean in the sense you might be thinking, hon," Daneel replied. "During this whole time since Selene's death he has been obsessed with saving his image of his daughter. You heard him say it when he first saw her skin changing…the doom of the sith race if even the purest and strongest could falter. He was talking about his daughter. In his eyes she was perfect…and anything to the contrary was appalling to him. He spent years, decades, and then centuries to remove that flaw and bring back not his daughter but what he perceived as the perfect form of his daughter." He looked at the sith woman. "You said yourself you followed the light. You could sense his lie to you. Certainly you realized that at some point he noticed this through the Force himself. At this point he did not care what you believed so long as your skin remained red…that you remained untainted. But once he knew you would kill him, he sought me out. I do believe at the end he could not bring himself to kill you. You were the closest thing to his real daughter he had achieved in centuries. In his madness you were finally his daughter he had been searching for despite the green patch of skin. And yet for all of that love there was also the hatred of what was happening to you. You show signs like the rest of them did…your skin had begun to change. And lately so had you. He could sense your change from the light to the dark. The thinking of vengeance…thinking like a sith..."

"And thus like his real daughter," Demira added. "He thought that since you were a jedi you would kill her for him since he could not finally bring himself to do the deed."

"Exactly," the jedi said. "_I do not mean for you to bring her to the light side of the Force…just stop her from falling further to the dark side…and madness" _was his plea to me…stop her from becoming a green."

The sith woman stood up. "Now you understand."

Daneel looked at Demira. "I still need to see something, and I want you to wait here." This time she nodded and stayed seated.

"What you are looking for, I think, is in the far left corner," the Selene clone stated.

The jedi placed his hand on Demira's shoulder and squeezed. She reached up and grasped his without saying a word. They exchanged nods, and he left towards the corner the clone indicated. When he reached the door he stopped and looked back. Demira was looking towards him. He waved and smiled, then stepped through the door. The sensors activated the lights of the room. Before him were twenty autopsy tables with a datapad at the foot end of each. He walked slowly to the last table. On each table was a cadaver splayed open as though the autopsy was still being performed. There were two orcs, four blood elves, two dwarves, one tauren, three worgen, two gnomes, one night elf, two trolls, one satyr, one naga, and on the final table a human. Daneel approached the table with the human…a female with silvery hair. He picked up the datapad and read the entry.

_"I have not been able to procure the most recent oddity from this world. Instead I have followed and studied the woman as she walked the streets of her chosen city. I find her fascinating. She is the lone survivor of an explosion caused by what the natives call a 'mana' bomb. I have never understood what mana is or how it is used in these feats of magic the locals perform. This woman herself is considered one of the most powerful, and as a result of this mana explosion has become even more powerful. Reports I have procured indicate that immediately after the explosion this woman's eyes glowed a bright white while her blonde hair was changed to a silvery color. Despite my inability to abduct this woman I have acquired a sample of her DNA. When the clone was finished I was astonished to find it to match the woman in her current appearance and not the original blonde hair and blue eyes. Apparently her DNA has been altered by the exposure to the mana explosion. While regrettable I do not have a sample from before her transformation I am confidant I can ascertain what was changed and how. This might be the breakthrough I need to find a cure to the taint of Sargeras and thus save my only child. A thorough examination of perhaps multiple clones down to the molecular level may be required to find the link between mana concentration and this woman's transformation. Thus when this answer is found I can return my daughter to the perfection she was before Sargeras' intervention."_

Daneel placed the datapad back in its holder and walked to the back of the room. He placed his hand on the wall next to a darkened screen. Within seconds the screen powered to life and revealed a room on the other side. Four stasis tanks held three more Jaina Proudmore clones. He shook his head and removed his hand from the wall causing the screen to return to darkness. He turned and walked out of the room and back to Demira and the Selene clone.

"Did you find what you thought you might see?" the mage asked quietly. She was still wrapped tightly in his robe.

"He did…and what was there will not matter any more," the clone answered.

"Let us just leave this ship," Daneel replied. "There are no more answers to be found here." He reached down and held Demira's hand. She got up and held onto his arm again as the trio left the room and walked the corridors of the ship back to the shuttle bay.

Once they returned to the hidden mountain base they left the Selene clone alone and left on their speeders to return home. Very little was said the rest of the night as both Demira and Daneel contemplated what they had discovered. The next morning Daneel returned to the base alone. He had more questions for the clone he did not want Demira to hear. However, when he got to the base the clone had left on one of the speeders. By its docking station he found a datapad she had left for him.

_"I am leaving out to find the rest of the greens. I am confidant my father was thorough in his information of where they are. I know you were looking for greens in the autopsy room, and you were right to think he might have been studying them as well. The reason you did not find any on the ship was because he quit studying them after the Scourge ravaged this planet. That event left the number of greens decimated with the remaining twenty left until your arrival three years ago and he was afraid of not having enough material left to work with. _

_"Ironically I was the one following that particular green the day you arrived. I told my father about the strange Force user I had seen and what you had done. Since that time he redoubled his efforts in procuring native specimens. He was frightened of you at first thinking much like the green and that you had come to find and kill the rest of the sith as the jedi had done centuries ago. He felt you would notice the rise in missing natives and deduce he was the one responsible. I also want you to know that your arrival is what eventually saved me. His paranoia and fear drove him to believe a great many contradictory things. One was that we were the only two sith left of our species…and instead of killing me to opt for another clone as was his plan just before your arrival (as I discovered)…he decided to concentrate on a cause instead of a cure for the taint. If only he had pursued that path centuries ago a lot of suffering could have been avoided. _

_"This base is now yours to use as you deem necessary. You will never see me again. Once I have killed the last green I will take the shuttle and pilot the _Vindicator _into the sun. Do not try to find me or stop me…I am committed to this outcome. You will simply see one day the shuttle is gone and thus so also shall I be gone from this world. _

_"One last thing. I have been in contact with some of the other survivors. Maktai in particular who I have told about you in detail. He has followed you since your arrival on Azeroth. Should you wish to meet with him simply travel to the human capitol of Stormwind. Once there head to the canals near the mage tower. Take some bread crumbs with you and feed the birds or squirrels or whatever small animals are present. That will be the sign to him you wish to talk. He will then come to you. I wish you well, Master Jedi. May the Force be with you and your love."_

Daneel placed he datapad back on the docking station and left the base. He returned home and told Demira what he had found and the writing the Selene clone had left for him. For the next two weeks the couple lived as they normally did trying to forget what had happened aboard the ship. Finally unable to resist they returned to the base to see what it had in its entirety. They took the lift to the top floor first and discovered the shuttle missing. Daneel sighed knowing the Selene clone had finished what she set out to accomplish. He found a telescope and searched the heavens for the _Vindicator_. He found it…slowly turning towards the sun. With a flash the engines ignited and thrust the massive ship towards the center of the solar system…and its destruction.

"May the Force be with you, Selene," he whispered. "And may you finally find peace."


	4. Unanswered Questions

**_Part four: Unanswered Questions_**

The sun rose high over a clear valley located in a secluded area of Eversong Woods. The sweet sound of songbirds filled the otherwise calm and quiet afternoon. Near the end of that clearing and the base of a small mountain Demira emerged from the back door of her home onto the deck at the rear of the abode. She was carrying a tray with some fruit, a pitcher, and two goblets. She walked to a table and set the tray down. She offered a goblet to her friend and poured cool sparkling water from the pitcher. Her friend smiled and took a sip from the proffered drink.

"I am still amazed at this place," Kitali stated as Demira sat in a chair next to her and poured herself some water. "Every time I come to visit the elements are so much at peace. It's like you found yourself the best part in all of Azeroth to live."

"Surely there are other parts of Azeroth that are just as peaceful," Demira replied. "I doubt that this one little spot is the only place where the elements are 'happy' and content."

"There are other places," the shaman admitted. "But none of my close friends has made one of those places their home like you have. And with all that is going on with the war and what happened in Dalaran…it's nice to get away from all of that for even a short time." She set her goblet on the table. "Any news from Daneel?"

"None," the mage replied. "He's been gone for about a week now. Of course it could take him that long just to get to Stormwind. I offered to open a portal for him, but he said he wanted to take the time getting there to sort through some things."

"And what about you?" Kitali asked. "All that stuff you told me about seeing on that ship and in the base. That woman left…what…two weeks ago? Are you sure all of those beings she went after are gone?"

"Zharn asked me the same thing the other day when I was in Orgrimmar. We didn't get to talk much, though. He was preparing to leave out to some other battlefront somewhere…I don't remember exactly where." Demira took another drink. "What about you? Aren't you heading off to some battlefield as well?"

"Perhaps," the shaman answered. "But I wanted get a little relaxation in before going back to the grind of war. When I heard you had stayed here instead of going with the jedi, I wanted to come by and visit."

"There's no way I could have gone with him," Demira said with a smile. "Especially now after what happened in Dalaran."

"But you are not exactly an active Horde member," Kitali countered. "And last I knew you were respected by a lot of people in the Alliance because of what you did during the wars with the Legion and the Scourge. In the company of the jedi I imagine you could have gone to Stormwind if you wanted to."

"But I am also a blood elf and my people are obviously with the Horde. Even in Daneel's presence I cannot hide who I am, and there is just too much bad blood now between the Alliance and Horde. After the theft of the Divine Bell past deeds are simply forgotten." Demira cocked her head to the side and grinned. "You are the lucky one. With pandaren on both sides you could easily get lost in the crowd in Stormwind and truly go wherever you wanted."

"That's because secretly I am a draenei," Kitali teased. Demira gave her a disbelieving look. "What? I am. I only wear this disguise to better spy on the Horde." A mischievous grin crossed her face. "And I noticed you still have not answered my question. Do you think there are more of those sith out there? The one's with green skin?"

Demira took a long drink. Kitali kept staring at her. "If the crazy sith was correct about his information, then I do think she got the rest of them." She placed her empty goblet on the table. "But part of me has to wonder just how accurate he was. I mean, Kit, he was really crazy. Daneel saw some things he told me about later that still makes my skin crawl just thinking about it."

"That whole making copies of people," Kitali added, "I mean…if you weren't the one telling me about it I would never believe it."

"I still don't understand it all." Demira poured herself more water and offered more to Kitali who declined. She took a sip and then stared at the woods ahead of them. "What scares me most is if he was making copies of his daughter, and their people have this kind of technology…how many horrors could be revisited upon us."

"What do you mean?"

"What if one of them decided to make another Lich King…or Illidan…or Archimonde…I mean…imagine if those people were set loose upon us again." She looked at the pandaren staring wide-eyed at her. "What if one of those sith decided to claim power and just unleashed one of them? It was everything we could muster to defeat them the first time…but a second…or a third? Or worse…what if they cloned Deathwing?"

"They could do that?"

Demira nodded in response. "Daneel told me that where he came from they could clone any living being and with other techniques even with the memories of the other person. That woman mentioned she had memories that were not hers. Any evil unleashed on Azeroth could be returned…even Deathwing if they were devious enough."

"I need something stronger to drink than water," Kitali stated after a moment.

* * *

The squirrel sat on its haunches eating a nut. Beside it another squirrel darted to a nearby tree carrying another nut…there were several strewn along the ground. A few feet away stood a man in simple brown robes with collar length white hair. One squirrel stayed in a grassy area further from its two more adventurous companions. The man gently tossed another nut close to the shy animal. Several people walked by quietly observing the unassuming man paying little attention to them. This was the mage quarter of Stormwind and all of them had important duties during this time of war. Except for one mage with long black hair and a graying beard. He wore light blue robes and walked up next to the man feeding the squirrels.

"Odd in these days to find someone performing a small act of kindness to insignificant creatures," the mage stated.

"It is especially in these times that such acts are needed. They can mend the soul," the other replied.

"You say that with such passion," the mage said.

"There is no emotion, there is peace," came the answer.

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion." The mage looked at the man feeding the squirrels.

"There is no ignorance, there is knowledge," the other said turning his head to face the mage.

"Though passion I gain strength."

"There is no passion, there is serenity."

"Through strength I gain power."

"There is no chaos, there is harmony."

"Through power I gain victory. Through victory my chains are broken."

"There is no death, there is the Force."

"The Force shall free me," the mage finished. "Odd how these two philosophies have become so divergent yet sprouted from the same source."

"You mean from the Second Great Schism," Daneel replied to the mage. "When after twenty thousand years the Order was split. Those who followed the dark were exiled…"

"And journeyed to find a race of red skinned beings who also followed the dark," the mage answered. "They were the sith'ari…and when the two darks merged they became the Sith." He smiled at the jedi and gestured with his hand, "Let's go for a walk."

The two walked to a secluded area of the quarter without talking. They found a couple of chairs and a table near a small café. They sat across from one another, the mage smiling at the jedi.

"It's nice to finally meet you face to face," the mage stated. "I have followed your exploits on this world for some time."

"There hasn't been much to follow," Daneel replied. "But I must assume you are the man I was told I would find here."

"You would be correct," the mage nodded. "You might know me today as Mikkial, but in my youth I was called Maktai…and I must assume you have many questions for me."

"Indeed I do. For starters…was she correct in stating you no longer follow the code of the sith?" Daneel asked.

"No…nor do I follow the jedi code. I have found that both are as inaccurate as saying the sky is always blue," the mage said with a smile. "I strive to live by an undefined code that exists somewhere in between the others." He waved his hand at their surroundings. "There is so much life here on Azeroth. There is peace and happiness, but there is also death and strife. The majority of the beings on this world struggle just to stay somewhere in the vast middle in between. Those that fight on either the light or the dark crush those in the middle. It was true of our own galaxy as much as it is true on this small world." He looked back at the jedi. "There comes a time when one from either extreme will see this truth and make a choice…to prolong the suffering of the masses…or to try and alleviate that suffering."

"To give up the light or the dark and live in the gray," Daneel said. "Is that what you did? Leave the dark?"

"I did when I realized that the natural flow of life is gray," the mage replied leaning back in his chair. "Is the wolf dark for eating the rabbit? Is the rabbit for eating the grass? Both are hunting and consuming other living things in the Force…and yet both are acting in accordance with their natural instincts. They both consume, defecate, and that in turn is consumed by other living creatures…and when those defecate it fertilizes the soil for more life to spring forth. And for the one who might save the rabbit from the wolf…what happens when the wolf dies of starvation? The act of saving the life of the rabbit was light minded, but the result was dark for the wolf."

"The natural cycle of life," Daneel continued. The mage closed his eyes and nodded. "All are neither light or dark…they are just living."

"And then there is this war," the mage said after a moment. "Leaders on both sides fighting for light and dark reasons. The common man, woman, and child crushed in the onslaught…and yet powers darker than any imagined guide them all as puppets."

"Then why not champion the light if there are powers so dark acting so on this world?" Daneel asked.

"But there are powers of light acting on this world," the mage countered. "They have fought and sacrificed in each war this planet has suffered through…and yet the cycle continues. So I chose to help those in the middle."

"By helping those in the middle you are in fact acting for the light despite your desire to use semantics to say otherwise. The act of helping others in need is the way of the jedi at its core," Daneel offered. "Your example of saving the rabbit while an act of light having dark consequences is a paradox that all must face when deciding an act of interference. One must weigh the greater good when making such a decision."

The mage leaned forward. "And you would be right. I believed you were a champion of the light, but I had to be sure this world had not affected your judgment."

"This was a test?" Daneel asked. "Why?"

"It was," the mage replied seriously. "I know the Jedi Order's views on relationships. We searched your ship for clues to who you were. You were a grand master of the Order. We found that you were named Barsen'thor of the Jedi Order…and only three others in the entire history of the Order have been named such. That title carries great responsibility and expectations. And yet you love a sin'dorei woman…even live in a home together as a couple. Some of us had…doubts."

"And yet you know my history of trying to broker a lasting peace between the Alliance and the Horde."

"Many in history proclaimed to be peacekeepers when in truth they were laying the foundation for their own rise to power and domination. We had to be certain."

"And?" Daneel asked.

"You are indeed the Barsen'thor…of this I no longer have doubt," Maktai replied. "You still follow the light despite your departure from the jedi code. This was something that led to the First Great Schism millennia before the Second. Some believed that to follow the light one had to put aside all emotions while others believed emotions were the key to gaining strength in the light. Fear, anger, hate…these are all powerful emotions that embolden the sith. Would it also not stand to reason that emotions like love and compassion also embolden the jedi? I have come to believe this is indeed so…and I see in you that you believe this way as well."

"Are you saying you truly no longer believe in the sith philosophy?" the jedi asked.

"I believe somewhere in the middle, in that I was telling the truth. Your unspoken mentor, Revan, was right about a great many things. And while I never had his experiences I have come to the have the same outlook on life and the Force."

"How do you know of Revan? The only thing I had aboard the ship even mentioning him was a holocron he had given me. It was lost in…"

"The crash? It was not," the mage answered. "That same day after you left with your friend…my friend searched the ship. The mage's invisibility spell was good, and if Selene had not already been there to see the wreckage we would never have found the holocron or the two other datacrons. The Force was with us that day, and she spirited the three items from the wreckage before the sun rose the following morning. We have followed you ever since that day."

"I had thought those…destroyed…like so many other things," Daneel said quietly. He then looked up to the mage. "So if you have known about me this entire time then why all the secrecy? Why not just come to me from the first day?"

"You saw Varok's recordings. You know just how unstable the man had become over the centuries. And you know of the devastations this world has suffered through in the past few decades. While we welcomed your arrival we could not simply stop our endeavors. There were villages to rebuild, crops to resow, orphans to house, and so much more. We have come to see Azeroth as our home, its people our own, and so we feel compelled to help those who need it and heal the world when it is hurt. For this world is very much a living thing."

"The planet is alive?"

"I believe it to be, yes," Maktai answered. "It is why the Force is so vibrant here, and also feels different than any other place in our travels. Certainly you have felt the difference in the Force as well?"

"I have," Daneel answered leaning back in his chair. "And the thought of a living planet is not as strange as you might think. There are…indications…that there exists or existed perhaps two similar living planets in our own galaxy. But I have thought the source of the difference in the feel of the Force was due to the presence of arcane energies."

"Perhaps," Maktai replied also leaning back in his chair. "But that can be a discussion for another time."

"To which you still have not answered my second question," Daneel stated. "Why reveal yourselves to me now?"

"Because something has come up and I need your help," Maktai answered. He leaned forward again and Daneel joined him. He lowered his voice to just above a whisper. "When we left Varok many of us also turned from the sith way of life, but there have been a few of us, mostly purebloods, who had returned to their old ways. There is one in particular that in recent months has begun to surface. You see…we had always remained in the shadows on Azeroth. Even the greens never exposed themselves to the natives of this world if they could avoid it. Now this new war has given one sith the inspiration to begin her own campaign for dominance."

"Where is this person and why wait until this war? There have been many on this world since your arrival thirteen hundred years ago."

"She did not come to this world," Maktai replied. "She was born here." He looked to one side and then another. "She is a Force wielder as we are, but in her little cult she has gained many powerful mages and warlocks. What they plan or what they hope to achieve I have not uncovered yet." He slipped a paper from his sleeve and handed it to Daneel. "They are calling themselves the Order of the Sith'ari."

Daneel studied the parchment the mage handed him. On it was only a symbol, but one he was familiar with…it was the symbol of the sith. "Perhaps she seeks to rebuild the sith with inhabitants of this world. Has she actually done anything beyond recruiting?"

"No and that is what worries me," Maktai replied. "And if she is doing as you think she is then she is waiting for something to happen before she acts. It might be something as simple as bolstering her numbers of her cult, but it might be something else entirely. I just do not know."

"So you want me to find and stop her before she can enact whatever her plans might be?" Daneel asked.

"No…I want you to build the Jedi Order on this world," Maktai replied.

"What? Why?" Daneel exclaimed. A few birds nearby flew at the sudden outburst. He lowered his voice. "That seems highly absurd. This world already has many organizations that are on the lookout for dangers to Azeroth."

"But none have the experience that you have," Maktai countered. "You have fought the sith…fought and won and survived. If she is rebuilding the sith on this world…"

"With…as you said…mages and warlocks. This should have been presented to a body like the Kirin Tor, or the Cenarion Circle, or the Earthen Ring…"

"None of them are equipped to deal with a sith," Maktai replied.

Daneel sat back and looked at the mage who was once sith. He cocked his head to the side. "If this danger is so great then why have you not acted before? Why come to me to do this when you could have done something yourself? What are you not telling me?"

Maktai looked down at the table. "I…cannot. It must be you."

"Why? If not you then why not one of the others?" Daneel asked. The mage said nothing. "Just how many of you are there left?"

"As of today…only me," Maktai replied. "And I am too old to face her." He looked at Daneel and feebly smiled. "I had hoped Selene would be the one, but she was determined to her fate. I could not stop her. All of the others have passed from this world into the Force. Only I remain. Yes, I look young, but that is a deception…an illusion. While our lives are extended on this world…from the different energies or whatever reason…we live for centuries as will you, but we are not immortal." He leaned back in his chair. "I am dying."

"But you said this sith was born on this world. That means you had families. Are there no other children that could do this?" Daneel asked.

The former sith shook his head. "She is the last. There are lineages on this world, but they do not know they come from us. My own descendant lives in Dalaran. But she knows nothing of her heritage or that her ancestor from five centuries ago was my own child." He shook his head. "No…it must be you that stops this woman from following through with her plans."

"Then I will stop her," Daneel said as he began standing from the table. He looked down at the mage. "But I will not start a Jedi Order on Azeroth. Not only because there are no other Force users here, but this planet does not need a Jedi Order. I will instead work with those that already champion the cause for peace and the rebuilding of this world."

"And I cannot change your mind about that?" Maktai asked. Daneel shook his head no. "Very well. I will spend my remaining days here in this city should you ever decide to talk again. And may the Force be with you."

Daneel nodded and left the mage sitting alone at the table. Maktai looked after the jedi for a few moments in silence. "I was hoping he would see our way of thinking."

"It was your hope, Maktai, not ours," a hollow woman's voice said to his right. He looked beside him as a ghostly form appeared next to him. The woman looked like a night elf. "He will do what the jedi have always done. He will hunt her down and kill her as they have with all the sith they have come across."

"That is not for certain," a man's voice said to his other side. This ghost was a pureblood sith. "I do not sense our daughter is in mortal danger from this man. He will try to turn her back to the light first. I can only hope she will listen."

"In either case your daughter is not the only Force sensitive left on this world. There are other children…other descendants…even if they know nothing of their heritage one or more could discover their awareness of the Force. A new Jedi Order could help them from making the same rash decisions as your daughter," Maktai added. "Perhaps he might change his mind."

"Doubtful," the sith replied. He disappeared.

The woman looked at Maktai. "It is times like this I wish you had never forced yourself upon my mother." The mage bowed his head in shame. "And worse is that you lied to him. The mage studying in Dalaran is not your only descendant on this world. You have sent him after the other. Your own granddaughter."

"I regret what I did to your mother," Maktai said looking up. "But I never regretted having you." A tear began to fall down his cheek. "You look so much like her…"

"And yet you still killed her," the apparition replied angrily.

"That was over six hundred years ago," Maktai replied. "I have tried to change and right many wrongs since then. Can't you ever forgive me?"

"No," she replied as her visage dissolved. "I will never forgive you, father." Maktai sat alone weeping.

* * *

Demira and Kitali walked towards the boulder near the base of a mountain. Behind them was the mage's red speeder hovering near a tree. The more they talked about the horrors that could be revisited on Azeroth the more determined they became in finding out if such a thing was possible. Demira suggested they return to the hidden sith base, and Kitali was eager to join her sin'dorei friend. The mage removed the glamour revealing the secret door. She walked up to the keypad and punched in the code as she remembered Daneel doing when they first found this place. The door opened with a quiet hiss. Unlike the first time she had been to this base Demira did not conjure a torch. The jedi had reset the base's automated systems to activate the lighting when the sensors detected anyone entering an area. They stepped into the corridor and the door closed behind them. After a few seconds of darkness the lights activated. The pair continued walking until they reached the large central room. Demira stopped and tried to remember which tunnel led to the lift. Kitali whistled beside her. The mage looked back at her friend who was staring in amazement.

"Any dwarf or gnome would die if they saw this place," the pandaren said. "It would be like an unimaginable dream of theirs come true."

"Well, we won't have to worry about any of them dying here. We don't plan to let anyone else know about this place," Demira replied next to her.

"Oh? So does that mean after we find what we are looking for you will have to kill me to keep the secret safe?"

"No," Demira replied with a giggle. "I trust you to keep this to yourself."

"No worries about me telling anyone." Kitali walked forward another step and turned to face the mage. "So what are we looking for…exactly?"

"I'm not sure. I'm hoping to find something in here that tells us if they brought any of that cloning stuff down here from that ship."

"And where is that?" Kitali asked waving her hands in the air. "I know Daneel has shown you how to use some of this stuff, but it's totally alien! I mean…can you read the language if you find anything to even know if it's the stuff we are looking for?"

"This was your idea, Kit," Demira replied crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well…maybe it was…but we were kind of tipsy when we decided to come here."

"That's no excuse."

"It is for me…and I'm sticking to it," the pandaren stated.

"Well…it did seem a good idea…wait…wait right here!" Demira turned and ran back down the corridor.

"Where are you going?" Kitali shouted after her. "You're just going to leave me here?"

"I just remembered I have that translator thing that Daneel made for me. It's on the speeder. I'll be right back." Demira shouted as she ran down the corridor.

Kitali stood looking down the corridor as her friend disappeared in the distance. She narrowed her eyes and took in her surroundings. Unable to resist the temptation to explore a new place she walked towards one of the other corridors. The lights ahead flickered on, and she stopped in mid-stride. Lying on the floor about twenty feet ahead of her was the body of a woman with red skin. "Demira!" she shouted. "Demira! Get your bony ass back here!"


	5. A New Threat

**_Part five: A New Threat_**

Daneel left Stormwind confused. Maktai was clearly posing as a mage in the city, and he had his own agenda in telling Daneel about the cult operating somewhere on Azeroth. He looked out the side of the tram car. He had decided to take the transit from the capitol to Ironforge and then from there buy a griffon ride north. He kept thinking back on the strange conversation with the former sith. The test was most confusing to the jedi especially since it really did not test anything. Were all the sith trapped on Azeroth from that era just a little crazy? Was it the long lifespan causing them to lose touch with reality? Granted the elves lived long lives, but they were also accustomed to such an existence. The sith were not at all used to living more than a century as was he. Would this also become his fate? Living so long that you began to lose focus…the mind constantly wondering due to the barrage of experiences that kept piling up over time? He shook his head to drive such thoughts away. It had to be the affect of living that lifetime in secrecy. The man had to have lived with different personas during his life on Azeroth. Perhaps all of those began to blend together over time…lie piled upon lie piled upon lie…until the mind simply could not distinguish what was real and what was not. Daneel had already avoided that trap by making himself known from the very beginning. He would not have to live changing one identity for another…he would be Daneel the Jedi for as long as he lived and that would be accepted by the people of this world.

The tram arrived at the Ironforge and Daneel walked off his tram car. Just outside was a male night elf waving to him. Daneel approached the man. "Hello," he said to the stranger.

"I was hoping this was the route you were taking," the elf stated. "Come with me, please. We must hurry."

Daneel hesitated. "Do I know you?"

The elf stepped closer and leaned down to whisper in his ear. "It's me…Zharn. I am using an orb of Kitali's that changes my appearance." He leaned back up. "Something has happened and we must move quickly."

"What has happened?" Daneel asked the orc in disguise.

"I can tell you on the way, but we must hurry." He turned but the jedi still had not moved. He took a deep breath. "Demira has been hurt, and I have come to take you to her. Now move! This way!"

The two ran through the city to the main entrance leading outside. Zharn headed west from the entrance towards a small cluster of tents about half a mile away. Daneel ran behind him keeping the taller being's pace. They reached a red tent and stepped inside. A gnome with a scruffy beard greeted them. Beside him was a portal.

"It's about time you got here, I can't keep this portal open forever," the gnome stated.

"I thank you greatly, my old friend," Zharn said to the mage.

"I remember what you did for me in Northrend," the smaller being replied. "This is nothing compared to when you saved my life."

"Still…I am indebted to you," the orc replied. He was still in disguise as a night elf. "If ever you need me…all you need do is ask and I will be there." He turned to the jedi. "This portal leads to your home. I apologize for the deception, but given the current state between the Alliance and Horde this was the best solution."

"I am indebted to both of you," Daneel replied. With a nod he entered the portal to stand just outside the back deck of the home he shared with Demira. Standing in the back door was Kitali…and she looked disheveled.

"We went to the base," Kitali said as he ran towards her. "We thought we might find something…"

"Where is Demira? Is she ok?" Daneel asked. As he got closer to the shaman he noticed some cuts and bruises on her arms. "Demira!" he shouted into the house.

"We found this woman," Kitali kept trying to explain. "She was lying on the floor dead."

But Daneel did not catch the first part about finding a woman…all he heard she was lying dead…and his heart started racing. "DEMIRA!" he screamed as he shoved his way past Kitali into the house. "DEMIRA!"

"I'm in here," she called out from the living room.

Daneel dashed in to see her lying on her back with her left leg bandaged and propped up on pillows. He knelt beside her and looked frantically at her face and along her body to her leg and back to her face…his hands following his gaze. He touched her cheek and then wrapped his arms around her burying his head in her chest.

"I'm ok," the mage said as she wrapped his head in her arms. "I just hurt my leg is all. I'm fine." He tightened his embrace without saying anything. She looked at Kitali who had followed the jedi into the house. "I think we might have overdone it."

"Those warlocks in the base tried to kill us," the pandaren replied. "I don't think we overdid anything."

The jedi looked up at Demira. "What warlocks? What base?"

"We went to the sith base by the mountain," Demira replied calmly and quietly. "We were talking and thinking and decided to check on something. When we got there Kit found the body of Selene….and then these warlocks attacked us. They were in the base."

"And get this," Kitali added. "One of them was a night elf. I have never heard of a night elf warlock, but she was there commanding demons like the other two." She walked over to a chair by the couch, sat down, and sighed deeply. "I thought you said that woman took some ship and killed herself."

Daneel looked at the shaman and nodded. "I saw the ship leaving orbit through a telescope. Her last message was that when she eliminated all of the tainted sith she would pilot the ship into the sun thereby destroying herself along with everything else." He looked back at Demira. "Are you sure you are all right?"

"I'm fine. A few cuts and bruises but I'll live," Kitali replied.

"I'm ok," Demira whispered to the Jedi.

Behind them Zharn walked into the room. He was back to looking his normal orcish self. He looked at Kitali and smiled. "I think I will be owing favors to several gnomes before the end of my days," he said with a chuckle. He looked down at the jedi and mage. His smile waned as he looked at Kitali. "I think we might have overdone it."

"Not you too," Kitali protested. The orc started to say something as she put her hand up. "Shush! Not another word! Just go get me some ale or wine or something with some kick to it."

"As you wish, hon," he replied with a grin. He turned and left the room.

"I love the big guy, but sometimes he just drives me crazy," Kitali said with a sigh. She looked over at Demira and Daneel. He had seated himself on the floor next to the couch and now held the mage's hand. "Ok…so maybe we did overdo it a little. I'm sorry we worried you overmuch like that. It's just that whole thing really freaked me out."

"You are both safe and alive and that is what matters most," Daneel replied with a squeeze of Demira's hand. "Just what were you two looking for in that base?"

The two conspirators looked at each other and grinned. At that time Zharn reentered the living room and handed a goblet to Kitali. He sat on the ground next to her and placed his hand on her leg. He looked up at her and smiled. She sighed, then smiled, and then leaned over to kiss him. She looked back up to see Demira and Daneel staring at them. She rolled her eyes and took a drink.

"When did that start?" Demira asked.

Kitali placed the goblet on the arm of the chair she was sitting in. "So Demira and I were talking about these clone things and how bad it would be if…"

"Don't ignore me," Demira interrupted. "When did the two of you become a couple?"

"Months ago," Kitali replied with a wave of her hand. "We were wondering how bad it would be if someone got a hold of that stuff that makes them and tries to recreate someone like Deathwing."

"Months ago and you just happened to forget to say 'hey, Demira, Zharn and I started seeing each other romantically.'"

"Um…we were attacked by warlocks, Demira. Hello? Priorities?" the shaman replied with a sigh.

Daneel got up and stood by the window looking out the front of the house. The other three looked at him and stopped their conversation. It was quiet for a few moments. He turned back to face them…his brow furrowed. "You said you found Selene's body in the base…how long had it been there?"

"Wouldn't say very long," Kitali replied. "There was no smell, but also no blood."

"And this night elf …are you certain it was a warlock?"

"She had dark blue skin…almost reddish in some light," Demira added. She narrowed her eyes almost following the jedi's thoughts. "What do you know that we don't? What did the old sith tell you in Stormwind?"

Daneel reached into a pouch on his belt and handed a parchment to Kitali. "Have you seen anything like this before?"

She looked closely at the symbol and shook her head 'no' as she handed it to Zharn. Upon seeing the image the orc gasped. He looked back at the jedi. "I have seen this symbol before," he stated.

"Where?' Daneel asked.

"Near Mt. Hyjal," Zharn replied. "We were fighting some cultists in the area and one of the strangely dressed one's had a parchment like this amongst his possessions."

"And was he also a warlock?"

"A mage."

"What is it?" Demira asked. Zharn handed her the parchment. She looked at it. "Isn't this the same symbol that was on that ship?" she asked the jedi.

"It is," he replied. "I met with Maktai in Stormwind. He was posing as a mage in that quarter of the city. He's a little eccentric, but he did tell me some things that I believe are connected to your attack at the base." He sat back next to Demira and held her hand again. "Seems that he is the last of the original sith that came to this world thirteen hundred years ago. But some of them had children…families. Most alive today have no idea of their heritage or relation to the sith, but he mentioned there was one who was trying to revive the sith here on Azeroth. They are called the Cult of the Sith'ari. He also said they are waiting for something and only recently became active during this current war between the Alliance and the Horde."

"So what was one doing near Mt. Hyjal?" Zharn asked.

"Probably recruiting. This cult is not comprised of Force sensitives like me, but built with members who are mages and warlocks." Daneel scratched his chin with his free hand. "There was no cloning equipment in the base, and the ship left two weeks ago. If they got to the ship…then why return?"

"Could there be other places where they could make these clones?" Kitali asked.

"The white lab!" Demira exclaimed. "Remember the one vid we watched? The lab was white and not gray like the one on the ship!"

"They're looking for the location of the other lab," Zharn concluded. "They were searching the base for information where the other might be."

"But if they got the ship…then why would they need the lab?" Kitali queried. "I mean…didn't you see loads of this stuff on it? If this Selene person was the one dead at the base then she didn't fly the ship…which means they probably got it…and if they have it then why need another lab on the planet?"

Daneel looked at the others. "Who says they actually got the ship?" They looked at him in surprise. "Maktai asked me to start a new Jedi Order on this world, but I refused saying this world not only did not need a jedi order but that there were no other Force sensitives to begin such an order with. The Earthen Ring, Cenarion Circle, and other bodies serve in the same capacity as any order I could start, and they are most in tune with what this planet needs. His response was to tell me that he had hoped Selene would have done this, but she refused because she was committed to her plans that she outlined to me and Demira. It was her refusal that caused him to ask me."

"You think she might have changed her mind?" Demira asked. "Went to the ship, set its course, and then returned to Azeroth?"

"It would explain why the Cult of Sith'ari would be looking for the other cloning facility," Daneel answered with a sigh. "But all this right now is conjecture. Without that shuttle I don't know how to even search for the ship and determine its true location. If they got it and not Selene, then it would still be somewhere in orbit. If Selene did set the autopilot then it should already have been destroyed in the sun. Using a simple telescope could take years to search for it even if in a geosynchronous orbit and that's assuming it's still up there."

Zharn sighed loudly making them all look at him. "I swear I am going to owe favors to the gnomes even when I am roaming this world as a spirit after death." He looked at the jedi. "I think I know someone who might be able to help with that."

"Is it something mobile?" Daneel asked. "Something that can be brought here? I would like to search that base to see what those warlocks were looking for."

"Oh…I would say it's mobile," the orc answered with a grin highlighting his tusks. " ."

* * *

The small gnome compound in Northrend was just perfect for someone like Windi Weathergear. Since she was a young girl Windi dreamed of one day flying higher than the dragons themselves. What better place in the entire world than in the very country where the dragons lived could she come and learn exactly how to accomplish such a feat? She stepped out of her tent and pulled her coat tight. Today she would conduct the first test of her newest invention. She walked the length of the base towards what appeared from a distance to be a tower with a cone roof. She smiled as she got closer. The other gnomes paid her no attention as they tinkered away on their own inventions and projects. She would show the world today that the past forty years had been worth every minute and effort she put into her dream. As she got closer to the tower her smile widened as the two smaller towers to each side of the main one came into view. There was an entrance slightly higher than her head for the main tower with a ramp coming down to the ground. She stopped at the bottom and looked up to the top. Today she would make history and beat those goblins over in Area 52. Today her dream would become reality.

"Looks good, Windi," she heard a male voice say behind her. "Think you'll ever finish it?"

The gnome turned around and beamed at the orc behind her. She ran to him with arms wide. He kneeled down just as she embraced him. "Zharn! Did you come to see me off? But how did you know today was the day?"

"I didn't," the orc admitted. "I came to see you, but are you telling me this is ready?"

"Yeppers," she replied. "I was just getting ready to start the test. You want to come with me?" She beamed at him. "You can join me in flying higher than the dragons!"

"I suppose…" he started, but she let go of him and ran up the ramp. She turned and waved for him to follow her. He shook his head and smiled. The tower, while tall for the diminutive gnome, was actually only two stories high. She disappeared through the entry. "I suppose I am," he chuckled starting up the ramp after her.

As Zharn got close to the entry she poked her head around the corner. "How did you get here if you don't mind me asking? I thought the Alliance and the Horde were fighting again."

"I actually came here to help out a friend," Zharn said as he ducked through the door. "He had a specific need and I thought of you."

"I mean how did anyone let you into the compound?"

"I just showed them that little trinket you gave me a few years ago. Apparently that was all the proof they needed that I was a friend and not a foe…or a rival spy."

"That's good," she said walking to a ladder. "I know those goblins are friends of the Horde, but they will never get their rocket off the ground." She started climbing the ladder and stopped about five rungs up. She looked at Zharn and furrowed her brow. "I think it might fit you."

"What might fit me?" he asked as he reached the ladder.

"The spare helmet, silly," she replied with a giggle. "Going higher than dragon's means we have to take our own air. It runs out the higher you go, or didn't you know that?" She started climbing again looking up but talking back down to the orc as he began to climb. "If it doesn't I have other air bags that might work."

Windi reached the top and climbed into another room beyond Zharn's view. He continued to climb and heard her rustling around above. She was also talking but he could not understand what the gnome was saying. At the top he poked his head up and saw her running back and forth between two chairs. She stopped and looked at him.

"Come on, we haven't got all day," she said. "You sit in this chair on the left. It's bigger but still might be a little snug for you." She hopped into the right chair and fastened belts to hold her in the seat. "I'm going to retract the ramp and close the door down below." He climbed into the seat she indicated and strapped himself in. She was right…it was tight. "Take this," she said handing him a green bladder. "It's got the air I mentioned. When you feel yourself getting short of breath use it like you would if going under water."

"How can we see where we are going?" he asked noticing there were no windows in this room.

"Like this," she answered flicking a switch beside her arm. The room tilted and Zharn found himself looking straight up. His stomach lurched. "When we get high enough I'll pop the roof panels and we can see outside. It'll be the most awesome-ist thing we have ever seen!" She flicked another switch and he heard a loud roar coming from just outside. "Lift-off in ten seconds!" she tried to yell above the roar.

"Ten seconds?" the orc yelled back. He had a plan to help the jedi, but now he realized he had gotten into something much more than he bargained for. Last time he had seen Windi she was just beginning to build this rocket. He knew of the project in Area 52, but that was not even close to being finished and they would ask too many questions. He had hoped Windi had a way to see to the stars that she could fly to Eversong Woods, but now she was actually going to take him into space. "Are you sure this thing is going to work?" he yelled.

"Three…two…" she counted. "OOOOOOONNNNNNNEEEEEEE!"

Zharn was slammed back into the seat towards the ground. The roar outside grew deafening. He strained to look to his side because he could not turn his head from the pressure. Windi was next to him smiling and staring straight ahead. She was actually excited, but he began to feel sick. He thought he might vomit, but with the pressure pushing down on him he was afraid it would never come out. He was going to die in this chair next to a crazy gnome in a crazy contraption trying to help a crazy friend. He was supposed to die in battle fighting an enemy of the Horde…or of Azeroth…but not like this.

Suddenly the pressure stopped as did the roar outside. He tried to take a deep breath…he had been holding it since she yelled one…and couldn't. He reached for the bag she had given him and brought it to his mouth. Air…precious air filled his lungs. He looked over at Windi. She was smiling through a helmet with glass in front of her face. She pointed up as she flipped a switch with her other hand. He looked and the top opened. He never noticed the thick glass before with runes etched along the edges, but he saw now that the metal roof peeled away to reveal a black night full of stars. He looked back over at the gnome and grinned as much as he could with the bag to his mouth. But instead of focusing on her he looked at what was behind her in the dark night. Lit up was a triangular shape about an inch long with what appeared to be tiny dots coming out of the bottom towards the planet below them. He pointed for the gnome to see. She followed his finger, and then looked back with complete disappointment. She pulled up a pad and wrote something on it. She handed it to Zharn when she finished writing.

_"Not fair! I was supposed to be the first one up here,"_ the note read.

He took the stylus from her and wrote a message back to her. _"Those are what my friend was trying to find. We need to get to him ASAP!" _

_"Why?"_ she wrote back. _"They got here first…so it doesn't really matter now."_

_"No…we are in danger. Can you get us back to Eversong Woods with this thing?"_

_"Yeah, but I don't see the point now. We are not the first one's to get this high,"_ she wrote back.

_"Please, Windi, just get us there,"_ he replied.

She handed him the stylus back with her response and started manipulating the controls. The ship turned away from the other and back towards the planet. He looked down at the tablet. _"Sigh!"_ it read. The cabin began to get hot, and he looked up to see flames along the glass top. He took the bag from his mouth and found he could breathe…but not deeply.

"Did you expect this?" he asked.

"Umm…not really," she replied as she lifted the visor on her helmet. "But we should be ok. The runes are in the glass for some extra magical protection just in case. I just hate that someone else got here first."

For the next minute the cabin got even hotter. Sweat beaded down the orc's face. He again began to think he would die, but now that he had an answer for the jedi he would never live to tell him he had seen the ship. The rocket lurched, and he looked up to see blue sky ahead of them…and the ground. Instead of the pressure now pushing him back against his seat, it was pulling him forward…and down. The straps strained to hold him up.

"This is it," he whispered. "Of all the crazy things I have done this is the one that will get me killed. And if I don't die from this…Kitali's going to kill me for getting into this mess in the first place."

"What was that you were saying?" the gnome yelled beside him. "I didn't catch all of that."

"I said can you land this thing?"

"Oh sure, I'm getting ready to deploy the chutes now."

"Chutes? As in…" he was interrupted when the whole rocket jerked. It swung around and now instead of looking down at the ground coming at them he saw two huge parachutes above them. He winced as he saw a variety of cloths and patchwork that made the chute. Where some of the different patches were stitched together he saw holes.

"We might be a little off from landing in Eversong Woods," Windi stated next to him.

"By how far?" the orc asked.

"Maybe a hundred…maybe two hundred miles," the gnome replied. "No big deal."

He felt the ship hit the ground. It struck with enough force he chipped a tooth. The parachutes deflated and covered the windowed roof. Zharn brought his hand up to his nose and pinched the bridge. "Kit is sooo going to kill me when I get home," he said to himself.

"What was that?" Windi asked him. "You're going to have to learn to speak up!"

* * *

Daneel approached the door to the mountain base. Behind him were Demira and Kitali. Demira still had a slight limp because of the injury to her leg, but she insisted on joining the jedi when he returned to the base. She wanted answers as much as he did. The door itself was still open, and Daneel stopped when he saw the white body sprawled across the opening. He knelt down and examined the corpse.

"That's one of the demons the night elf was controlling," Kitali said from behind. "Never seen demons like it before, but I never saw a night elf warlock, either."

"This is not a demon," Daneel replied shakily. "This is something much worse." He looked back at the two women. "Were either of you bitten or scratched by one of these things?"

"I was scratched by a lot of things…"Kitali started.

"I mean by one of these specifically?" the jedi yelled. Both women were taken aback by the man's tone. "Were you bitten?"

"I honestly don't recall," the shaman replied. "A lot was happening…"

"What's wrong?" Demira interrupted.

The jedi didn't answer instead jumping into the base and running from their sight. They looked at each other and did their best to follow him. When they got to the large main room they could hear the lift already ascending to the upper levels.

"What's gotten into him?" Kitali asked the mage. Demira shrugged her shoulders. "I don't like this. I've never seen him like that before and I purposely try to get him mad sometimes. Have you ever seen him like this?"

"Never," Demira answered. "And he knows you try to make him mad…he usually just laughs it off." She started walking towards the lift. "This is also more than mad, Kitali. Something is worrying him."

They arrived at the lift just as it returned to the main floor. The door opened and they stepped inside. The last floor the lift had been to was the top floor. Demira punched the controls to take them to the same floor they hoped Daneel had gone to. It seemed to take forever to the two women for the lift to reach the top. They looked at each other nervously. The lift stopped finally at the top floor, and as the doors opened they heard things crashing in the room beyond. With a trepid look at each other they started walking towards the main hanger.

"How could you be so foolish?" they heard the jedi yell. They walked to the end of the corridor to see chairs and tables flying around and crashing into other chairs and tables and walls…like they had walked into a violent storm. They stepped back from the opening as a speeder flew by just missing them. Off from the center of the room where the computer stations were stood the jedi. His robes were flapping around him, he was looking upward, and the only thing not moving in the room was the computer terminal directly in front of him. Some objects sparked as their electrical connections were ripped and shredded in the jedi's telekinetic maelstrom. A speeder exploded into flames as it crashed into the far wall. "Do you realize what horrors you have unleashed on this world? On Kitali? On…D-D-Demira?" he screamed. He looked down at the terminal. "I will kill you all for what you have done!"

"Daneel!" Demira tried to yell above the chaos. He turned to look at her…the expression of anger on his face changed to deep sorrow and then into rage. "Daneel…what's wrong?" There was a sudden flash of light and she covered her eyes. Demira looked back after a few seconds…and he was gone.

"What happened? Where did he go?" Kitali asked beside her. Demira didn't answer. She ran across the room as objects simply fell after the jedi's disappearance. She reached the terminal Daneel was standing near. Kitali caught up to her. "What is going on, Demira?"

"He was reading something on this that upset him a great deal," Demira replied quietly.

"Well…what is it? What does it say?"

"I don't know," the mage replied.

"Plug in that translatey thingy," the pandaren pleaded. "He said something about horrors unleashed on the world. We don't need any more unleashed horrors…we've had our share and then some."

Demira reached into a pouch on her belt and removed the small device. She found a connection port and inserted the device as Daneel had shown her before. The view on the screen adjusted, blinked off, and then returned to life with the wording now written in the common tongue which she understood. She scrolled through the wording and images displayed on the screen. After a moment she sat down in a chair and slumped her shoulders.

Kitali looked at her with a worried expression. "Well? What did it say?"

Demira did not look up at her friend. "That creature is not a demon. It's something called a rakghoul."

"What's that?"

"It was once a person," the sin'dorei replied after a moment. "These sith created the rakghouls thousands of years ago according to the computer." She looked up at the pandaren. "After a conflict in their galaxy called the Hundred Year Darkness a sith named Karness Muur created a talisman that would change people near him into mindless creatures he could control thus making them his personal army. But some could resist the talisman so he changed it into a plague that was spread by the bite or scratch of a rakghoul. His army would infect more who would themselves turn into rakghouls thus building his army. He was killed by the other sith who were jealous of him and the talisman was lost."

"Do these sith here have it?" the shaman asked.

"I don't think so if Daneel's reaction is any indication. He knew what that thing was by looking at it which means he's seen them before…" her voice trailed off.

"What then, Demira? What made him so angry?"

"We were scratched, Kit. We're going to turn into one of those things," the mage replied quietly. "It says here that it takes anywhere from six to forty-eight hours to transform." She shuddered in her chair. "There is no cure from this, Kit." She stared back at the terminal. "We're going to change into one of those things…"

"Demira."

"Then the only way to save us is to kill us. No wonder he is so upset. And we'll spread the disease to others like the Scourge…"

"Demira."

"I don't want to turn into one of those things, Kit. I don't want to die…like that…"

"DEMIRA!"

"What?" the mage asked looking back at the shaman.

"You said the change happens within two days…we were here four days ago…we are not going to change into one of those things," Kitali answered. "If we were then it would already have happened."

Demira looked back at the terminal then back to Kitali. "You're right. It said a slow mutation with bleeding and skin color changes. But we have had none of those symptoms."

"And Daneel doesn't know it's been that long because we might have forgotten to tell him that," Kitali added. "He's thinking the same thing you were." They looked at each for another moment. "Where did he go do you suppose?"

Demira's widened. "He used that technique that brought him here…the dangerous one he said he would never use again."

"The one like a portal? But to where?"

"He might have gone back to his ship hoping to find something we hadn't scavenged," Demira replied She stood up and cast the spell to open a portal. In the air before her the portal opened revealing the crashed ship on the other side. "Step on through, Kit."

* * *

Daneel appeared just outside his ship that had crashed on Azeroth not quite three years before. He had used the Force-folding technique he said he would never use, but at the moment his thoughts were on the rakghoul corpse back at the base and what he feared was happening to Demira. He ran to the wreck and crawled inside making his way to the medical bay on the lower deck. He could save Demira if the cure was still aboard, but time was of the essence. The plague would have begun the transformation almost immediately. He was certain Tharan Cedrax had kept the vaccination they procured on Taris in the medical bay. He searched the cabinets and nulentropy containers in the bay, but none of the vaccine could be found. He then tore through the ship looking in every crevice and container still not scavenged by him or Demira over the past three years. Near the back of the cargo hold he finally found some of the hypo's labeled with the vaccine. He examined all six left in the crate…all destroyed in the crash. He leaned back and howled in anguish. His love was doomed and he had nothing left to help her. He stood up and threw boxes and canisters against the bulkheads and floor grating. His emotions churned in anguish, fear, pain…and into rage. The sith had unleashed the most vile plague he had ever witnessed. They had unleashed it on this world and infected the one woman he had come to love more than life itself. Anger boiled inside him. He could not save her…the vaccine was gone. She was going to change into one of those monstrosities and he was powerless to stop it. He climbed from the wreckage and stared at the open sky. Demira was lost…their friends would be lost…and soon this whole world would be lost…nothing left but mindless beasts devouring each other…and anger grew inside him. He looked back at the ship…a reminder of his hopelessness. He lifted up his arms and reaching out with the Force he picked the ship from the ground. He lifted the wreckage until it was ten feet in the air…loose parts and debris falling to the ground below it. With a visible jerk he slammed the ship back into the ground with such force that the impact kicked up dirt and dust clouding the area. An explosion rocked from inside the ship from a container or canister still inside with combustible material. He didn't care any more. He would find the sith and stop them from harming anyone else. He would find them and kill them all. But he needed to find where they were…and there was one man he was certain knew where to begin searching. He brought his hand before his face…and through the Force folded space and time to his target.

* * *

Demira and Kitali emerged from the portal just in time to see the ship slam into the ground. Daneel stood before it only a second as an explosion came from inside the wreckage and then blast a section of the cargo bay. The two women fell to the ground instinctively trying to avoid any debris from the carnage. They looked up to see a bright flash…and then Daneel was gone again.

"W-w-w-what was that?" Kitali exclaimed. "Did he just slam that thing into the ground?" Demira nodded and coughed beside her. Kitali stood and waved her hand before her face trying to clear some of the dust and smoke from her view of the ship. "Just how powerful is he?"

"Very," the mage replied. "Our house used to be on the other side of the valley. He moved it to where it is now."

"How?" the shaman asked.

"With his mind," Demira replied. "He did it using only his mind…and the Force." She looked at the pandaren. "I'm scared, Kit. I'm scared he thinks I am going to change into one of those things and it's making him fall." She wrung her hands. "He's falling and I don't know what to do to save him."

"I don't understand," Kitali said. "Falling into what?"

"The dark side," Demira whispered. She looked worriedly at the shaman. "The Force has a lot to do with light and dark…and those as I understand them are tied to one's emotions. Compassion and love are light, but fear, anger, hatred are dark. For people like Daneel the Force augments those emotions…it can change them…dominate them."

"So where did he go?" Kitali asked. "If we are going to save him then we need to get to him."

"I don't know," Demira replied. "I simply don't know!" She fell to her knees and started crying. Kitali knelt next to her friend and hugged her. "I can't lose him, Kit. I can't!" she sobbed clutching to Kitali's arms. "What am I going to do?"

"You can save him," Kitali said calmly and quietly. "As much as he loves you and you love him all he needs to see is that you are not turning into one of those things. Once he knows you are safe he'll come back to you and the light." 'Whatever that is,' she thought to herself. Last thing she wanted to do was project her doubts onto her friend because she still could not grasp all the complexities of the Force or how it worked. The light and dark she could grasp, but how one could switch to one or the other simply by their emotional state was beyond her comprehension.

"You think so?" Demira asked looking up with tear filled eyes.

"Yes," the shaman replied. "He will come back…to you." Demira looked down again and rubbed her eyes. "Back at the base you said you were sure these people did not have that talisman thing. What makes you so sure? I mean…it might help us figure out what is going through Daneel's mind right now. Like why he came here first."

"Well…the computer said the talisman created the rakghouls. These people have been here at least a thousand years, but Daneel knew what that thing was just by looking at it."

"Right," Kitali said.

"That means he has seen them and not just in historical references…he's actually seen them." Demira looked up at the pandaren.

"And if he has seen them…then that would mean the talisman is still in his galaxy if it's what makes these things." Kitali looked up. "But how can you be so sure? The ones he has dealt with could just as easily have been there since then because of the scratches and biting that causes it to spread."

"True and I had thought of that," Demira answered. "But the other reason I thought to come here was that if they still had rakghouls in his galaxy then they might also have a cure. The computer said there wasn't one, but it's also old information and out of date. He might have had some of the cure on this ship."

"And judging by his reaction he didn't find it," Kitali stated. She looked down at Demira. "Hon, where would he go next? Assuming he might be trying to find a cure to save you."

"I don't know," Demira replied with tears welling in her eyes again. "All of the stuff from his world is either here or at home, and I know there is nothing mentioning 'rakghoul' back at the house."

"Then let's head back to your house," Kitali said as she released Demira and stood up.

"But what if he isn't there?" the mage asked.

"Even if he isn't there it's where we should go. There are apparently no answers to be found here otherwise he would have stayed," Kitali answered. "So back at your home we can sit and think about where to go next. Plus Zharn might be returning with hopefully some good news."

Demira nodded and stood up. She cast the spell opening the portal, and then the two friends stepped through.


	6. Revelations

**_Part six: Revelations_**

Daneel stood before the blast door that was thirty meters tall and sixty meters wide. Maktai had not mentioned this had once been a hanger, but what other reason for having a door this size? The tunnel leading to this cave was barely wide enough for him to walk upright in, so the use of the hanger had been abandoned perhaps centuries ago. However, the man's dying breath indicated this was the last known base besides the one in Eversong Woods. He reached out through the Force and sensed some of them inside. He would get his answers one way or another, and he would have his vengeance. He spread his legs apart and reached out with both arms towards the door. His hands clawed at the air as he stretched his mind towards the door…grasping it with the Force…and he pulled with everything he could muster.

* * *

Demira and Kitali stepped through the portal to the mage's home she shared with the jedi. To their surprise there stood a man with blue hair standing near the front door. Both recognized Kalecgos of the blue dragonflight. He stopped his arm from his mid-knock on the door, lowered it, and smiled at the two women. Kitali haphazardly smiled back, but Demira was so distraught she could manage only a small wave. The dragon's smile waned as he realized something was bothering the mage.

"Perhaps I have come at a bad time," he said.

"That's the understatement of the year," Kitali retorted. "I'm going inside and getting something cold and strong to drink. You want anything, Demira?"

"Just some water," the mage replied quietly. Kitali passed Kalecgos and walked in the house. Demira looked at him and tried to smile. "A lot has happened since last I saw you, Kalecgos." She motioned for him to join her as she began walking around the house to the back deck area. He followed in line beside her. She wrapped her arms around her waist. "How did you find this place," she asked.

"Remember when you filed for membership in the Kirin Tor? You had to give us a location where we could find you," he replied with a smile. "But I sense that is not what is bothering you. Where is Daneel? I actually came here to speak with him."

"I don't know where he is," she replied. Then for no reason she could explain she told him of what had happened at the base four days earlier…then the return that morning to find the rakghoul and the jedi's sudden outbursts. Kalecgos' eyes widened as he heard of the recent events. When they reached the deck he sat in a chair as she stood still hugging herself while telling him about the information on rakghouls she had gathered from the base's computer. She looked at him as she reached the part in her story about the destruction of the wrecked ship. "And so we came back here thinking we might have some idea of where to look for him next." He said nothing…just looked at her. "I suppose this is a little too much to believe," she said.

"Actually…after what Daneel did in Dalaran I have come to believe a great many things I did not before," the dragon replied. He leaned forward onto the table he had sat next to and steepled his fingers under his chin. "And I agree we must find him soon."

"We?" They turned to see Kitali standing in the rear doorway and holding a mug. She walked over and handed a goblet to Demira. "Does that mean you want to help us?" she added.

"I do," Kalecgos replied. "I have seen a fraction of what I think your friend can do…and that was quite a lot." He looked at Demira. "Daneel has a tremendous amount of power that I now believe he holds in check, but if he has become emotionally strained as you suggest…" his voice trailed off.

"Then he might just unleash his full potential," Kitali said completing the dragon's thought.

"I do think that, yes," he replied still looking at Demira. "And I believe you are the key to calming him down."

"That's what I told her," Kitali added. "He's reacting this way because he thinks she is going to turn into one of those things. The problem is…how do we find him?"

"I would suggest we start by finding this Cult of Sith'ari," Kalec said. "If it were me in his position…that's where I would go."

"But he got that information from the fake mage in Stormwind. And as you can see I can't really go there to find out what he told Daneel," Demira stated.

Kalecgos stood and walked away from the deck and into the open area behind the house. The two women watched him and started to follow. In the blink of an eye he changed from his human form to that of his real self…an immense blue dragon. He curled his head back to look at them and smiled. "Come with me, Demira and we will find your jedi friend."

"Will this even work?" Kitali asked. "I mean…she's still a blood elf and the Alliance isn't too keen with her people."

"With me she might be taken as another dragon just in elven form," Kalecgos countered. "And at any rate I can protect her should plans go awry." He looked at Demira. "What do you say?"

"I say I'm going," she replied as she stepped forward to climb onto the dragon's back. "I have to try…whatever it takes I have to try…for him." Both the dragon and Kitali knew to whom she was referring.

"Good luck," Kitali said. "I'll stay here and wait for Zharn. If you find Daneel and turn him around we'll still have that ship to find."

Demira nodded and wrapped her legs around Kalecgos' neck. With a leap they were airborne and higher than she thought he could reach in a short time. The air should have been cold this high up, but she was neither cold nor short of breath. She imagined the dragon was responsible for her lack of discomfort. His scales glistened in the light in varying shades of blue. The blue dragonflight were the ones responsible for magic in the world, and this one in particular had been their Aspect before the fall of Deathwing. The fact that he was helping her now was not lost on Demira. Kalecgos' willingness to help her indicated that the importance of what was happening to Daneel went far and beyond her personal feelings, but even as she rode on the back of one of the greatest dragons in the world…her personal feelings for the jedi were all she cared about.

* * *

People were running through the streets of Stormwind in panic. There were several fires belching smoke in the air, and one of the walls around the canals had collapsed. Demira and Kalecgos took notice of the chaos as the dragon touched down in the mage quarter of the city. Guardsmen were struggling to keep order. The mage and dragon looked at each other in confusion. Finally amongst the yells and screams they made out the word 'earthquake'. Having a singular goal the pair ran to the base of the mage tower and as they reached the main entrance the ground shook beneath them. Both maintained their footing, but an elderly mage near them fell to the ground. Demira rushed to his aid. The old man looked at her with widened eyes.

"A blood elf in Stormwind?" the man asked.

"A couple of dragons more like," Kalecgos stated behind her. She looked back at him and he gave her a quick wink. Perhaps posing as a dragon was a good idea after all considering what was happening in the city. "We came here looking for someone, but it seems there is more happening in the city than we realized."

"Haven't felt anything like this since the Shattering," the mage stated. He looked from Kalecgos and back to Demira. "Couple of dragons you say? What do you want here?"

"We are looking for a mage named Mikkial," Demira replied. "He has some…information… the flights are interested in."

"Do you know of this man?" Kalecgos added. The mage again looked at the blue hair of the dragon. He then looked at he glowing green eyes of Demira. "Do you know him?" the former Aspect repeated.

"You must be a blue dragon," the mage stated pointing at the blue hair of Kalecgos. "But why would you choose to look like a blood elf?" he asked Demira.

"Why not?" she replied.

"Horde aren't welcome here in Stormwind," the mage answered.

"The petty squabbles of you mortals have never really concerned me," Demira replied to the mage. She looked back at Kalecgos and shrugged her shoulders. Turning back to the mage she said, "Do you know where I might find this Mikkial?"

"I meant no offense," the mage said. "Just seems an odd choice of appearance is all." He pointed to a row of buildings behind them. "I think that fella you are looking for owns a coffee shop down that street. At least that's the only Mikkial I know of."

They thanked the mage and left quickly in case he started to ask more detailed questions. So far the ruse was working, but the added chaos of the earthquakes didn't exactly make them the center of attention. As they reached the entrance to the only coffee shop down the street the mage indicated the ground shook beneath them again. They looked at each other, and with a shrug of their shoulders Demira opened the door to the shop. Inside the place was in disarray. Chairs had fallen over, pots and pans littered the counters over which they had hung, bits of broken glass littered the floor, and from the level above they could smell a stench both knew well. They found the stairs to the upper level and cautiously climbed up to the second floor. Following their noses they came to a small bedroom. Opening the door they found the body lying on a bed. He had been burned, but oddly no other part of the room showed fire damage. Demira took a step closer and looked at what had been a middle-aged man. She looked back at the dragon.

"We're too late," she said…her voice beginning to crack. "We're too late."

"Could he have done this?" Kalec asked. Demira shook her head and buried her face in her hands.

"The jedi did not do this," they heard a woman's voice say from the far side of the room. They both looked to see an apparition of a night elven woman. Beside her was a red skinned man, and both were wearing plain robes similar to what Demira had seen worn by the sith. "Your friend has not yet fallen completely to the dark side."

"Who are you?" Kalecgos asked. "What are you?"

The man looked at the dragon. "We are descendants of those who came to your world."

The woman looked at Demira. "We are the ones born on this world, but not of this world." She pointed to the dead man. "That was my father."

"Your father?" Demira asked quietly. "Was he…"

"Sith? He was," the woman replied. "He came with the others. When he saw my mother he was enraptured by her...so he took her…and made me. After I was born he killed my mother in fear that I would be…corrupted…by the ways of this world."

"What happened to him?" Kalec asked.

"I happened to him," the woman replied looking at the former Aspect. "I unleashed what remaining power I had before he could rain destruction upon our daughter, but it was not enough. Now you are the only hope left for saving our child."

"I don't understand," Demira stated. "Save your child?"

"A mile east of the city you will find a gorge," the man said. "That gorge comes to an end pointed towards the city, but hidden in that nearest end is an entrance to a tunnel." The house shook as another tremor shook the city. Demira and Kalec struggled to maintain their footing, but the two ghosts remained unchanged. "At the end of that tunnel you will find your jedi friend."  
"Stop him," the woman added. "Stop him from killing our daughter."

With the last plea both vanished. Demira and Kalec looked at each other. They nodded to each other and went back downstairs and out of the shop. There were no answers in Stormwind…only more riddles. But they had another place to look…a gorge. Once they found themselves a large open area Kalecgos changed into his normal form. Demira climbed on his back and he leapt into the air. The gorge was not hard to find and they landed nearest the edge as the apparitions had described. He changed back into his half-elven form, and the pair climbed down to find the entrance to the aforementioned tunnel. Again the ground shook beneath them as they reached the open entrance. They looked at each other coming to the same conclusion…Daneel was down there. Before the dragon could protest Demira was running into the tunnel desperate to find the jedi. He ran to catch her, and finally did when she stopped about a half mile in. The tunnel opened into a larger cave some two hundred yards across. In the middle stood the jedi and he was looking at an enormous door. His legs were spread and his arms outstretched before him. He jerked back and the ground shook again. They tried to maintain their footing. This time they could see the strain on the door as it bulged towards the jedi. Kalec noticed the door was firmly placed into the bedrock in such a fashion even the dwarves would have marveled.

"Daneel!" Demira yelled. "Daneel, I'm ok! I am not going to turn into a rakghoul!" He did not look at her. The tremor stopped and the jedi's arms relaxed. "Did you hear me? I am not going to turn into a rakghoul."

"You were scratched," he said coolly still avoiding gazing in her direction. He brought his arms close to his chest. "It is only a matter of time." The air before him began to churn.

"I read what was on the computer," Demira shouted. "It says six to forty-eight hours for the transformation. I was scratched four days ago. I am not turning into a rakghoul!" The air churned faster and started to glow before the jedi's hands. "Daneel! Please…don't do this!"

"I must," he replied. The glow grew into a ball of energy and continued growing larger and larger. "For what they have done to you…I must make them pay."

Kalecgos' eyes widened as the energy built up by the jedi grew in size. Already it was over ten feet in diameter and still growing. He realized that the jedi had been trying to break down the door for some time and was the cause of the tremors wracking the city above them. As the ball grew he began to feel the charge in the air around him, like during a lightning storm. The ball was now over twenty feet in diameter and still growing.

"Daneel, please stop this!" Demira pleaded. She ran up to the jedi and reached out to his shoulder. "Please! Come back to me! Please!" Daneel continued to look straight ahead at the large door…his Force attack growing over thirty feet in diameter now. "PLEASE!" she screamed. "I need you! Please, Daneel, do not do this…for me!" He still did not look at her. "I love you, Daneel. I need you to come back to me."

He looked at her. She was crying with both hands gripping his shoulder. He reached out with the Force…reached out and sensed no plague within her. He looked back at the door and the telekinetic wave he was building which was over fifty feet in diameter now. He took a deep breath…and dropped his arms to his side. The wave collapsed to nothing as he released his breath. The attack…was over. He fell to his knees, and Demira followed kneeling beside him. He looked at her and touched her cheek.

"I…am sorry," he whispered. "I…"

"I understand," she said embracing him. "I am ok. I just want you like you have been."

"You don't understand, Demira. I almost…"

"But you haven't," she whispered back. "You haven't."

"No," he whispered. "You saved me from myself." He hugged her tightly. "You saved me."

"I hate to break up a good reunion," Kalecgos said interrupting them. "But just what were you trying to do? Bring down the entire city?"

Daneel looked up at the dragon. "Actually…that was exactly what I was going to do."

Kalec swallowed hard. "How could you think of doing such a horrific thing?"

"I wasn't," Daneel admitted. "I was blinded by my rage. All I could think about was killing the six people behind that door." He looked at Demira. "I was so certain I had lost you to the plague. I went back to the ship to find the cure we had gotten from Taris, but the vials were all destroyed and Tharan had made no copies…no records of how to reproduce the vaccine. I could think of nothing else but getting vengeance against those who had taken you from me."

"But you haven't lost me," she whispered. She looked at him. "Have you…come back…to the light…and to me?"

"I have come back to you," he replied. "And the light, but I now have a deeper understanding of what Revan meant to walk the path of both the light and the dark. It is a path I walk now in between." They stood up still embracing. He looked at the dragon. "To answer your unspoken question, no, I do not intend to continue this path of destruction. Both you and Demira have stopped me from falling further down that path."

"Ok…I'll accept that," Kalec replied. "I have seen similar failings in mortals before. I am just glad we averted disaster…again." The jedi nodded. "I have a question, though. Demira told me about this disease, and judging by your reaction it must be very bad. Just…how bad are we talking about here?"

Demira looked at the jedi. "It's the talisman…isn't it. It's on this world."

"It's not on this world," Daneel answered. "About three hundred years a go a group of people called Mandalorians searched for the talisman on a planet called Taris. Taris was a planet-wide city."

"What is that?" the dragon asked.

"The city encompassed the entire land area of the planet. Imagine if Stormwind existed from sea to sea with no countryside around it. Nothing but city and water. That was what Taris was like." The dragon whistled. "They found the talisman and all but one turned to rakghouls. The one had control of the talisman found on Taris, but soon afterwards it was lost again. Nobody knows what happened to it. No…the talisman is not on this world." He looked at the dragon. "But to answer your question it would be like the Scourge all over again, but this time with no Lich King to lead them, no pattern or organized war as before. This time just complete and utter chaos with no end in sight. Just a bite or scratch from one of them would turn you into one…and it would go on and on until there was no person or beast left on this world. The disease is not limited to a particular species…so even the dragons would be susceptible to the plague turning into rakghouls as well." He looked at Demira. "I saw this on Taris, and then on Tatooine, then on Kaon, and finally on Ord Mantell. On the last planet there was a scientist who had weaponized the plague and unleashed it on Kaon for revenge. When I saw the corpse at the base…and you had been scratched…all those places I saw all over again only happening to this world…and I envisioned you turning into one…I lost all control."

"But she isn't turning into one," Kalec interjected. "So is this perhaps different? Not spread by bite or scratch?"

"Now that I am thinking clearly…it might be," Daneel admitted looking back at the door. "My last clear thought before hearing Maktai's dying words were something about the base being the testing grounds for some experiment of theirs and coming here to find answers and perhaps a cure. And then the Force ghosts of his daughter and her husband appeared. They claimed something…I don't remember now." He started walking towards the door holding Demira's hand as she walked beside him. "I recall…they said something about recreating Muur's vision. That it was that which Sargeras sought when he approached the sith in the first place…he wanted a rakghoul epidemic on this world." He stopped and faced the other two. "I remember now. The woman was pleading for her daughter's life. She asked me to spare her daughter who is the leader of the Cult of Sith'ari. They had started it centuries ago, the two of them, in the hopes of reviving their sith heritage. But their daughter took the sith teachings to the dark side. She read and studied the works of Karness Muur. She was fascinated by what the old lord had accomplished. She later learned that Lord Varok had already made such an amulet after they had arrived on this world." He looked at Demira. "That was why he was in the white lab room here on the surface…behind that door. He created the amulet with the other sith lords just after their arrival. Each of the reds used ancient and dark alchemy to transfer a part of themselves into that amulet. But they made one flaw…what was the flaw…I don't recall…" his voice trailed off.

"Go ahead and take a moment," Kalecgos offered. "This might help us divert a disaster. Believe me when I saw nobody in their right mind would want another Scourge on this world."

Demira squeezed his hand. "We saw them also. They told us to plead with you to spare their daughter."

Daneel looked at the door and walked a couple more steps. He was now less than ten feet from it. "I remember…it was limited…they collected people to test on, but it did not work on any of them. The talisman of Muur changed humans into rakghouls almost immediately, but those sensitive to the Force and of other species could resist it, so Muur reengineered it into a plague. But Varok…couldn't replicate Muur's work here on Azeroth. No matter what he did he could not make the virus work. Blood elves, night elves, humans, dwarves, none of them would turn to rakghouls. So he closed the lab…they gave up on the research. Until they began to turn green." He reached out and stepped closer to the door until he touched it. He looked at Demira. "It was his daughter who was first…that's what the ghosts revealed to me."

"The first to turn green," Demira added.

Daneel looked at her and shook his head. "Not just green…she turned into a rakghoul…or at least had the signs before he killed her. Her mother never knew the truth until she left with the others." Daneel looked back at Kalecgos. "The amulet only works on green skinned sith. That was the flaw. His daughter's change drove the man insane. So instead of working on improving the plague and the amulet he became obsessed with trying to save his daughter. When the others, led by Maktai, grew tired of trying to live up to their promise to Sargeras they left Varok and decided to live out their lives. They had families, but always there was the fear of that amulet. The ghosts managed to break into this base and steal the amulet and buried it. When their daughter turned to the dark side, she sought the relic and tortured them until they told her where they had buried the amulet. Then she killed them, and they have haunted Maktai ever since blaming him for their daughter's fall."

"So was he telling the truth when he said he was the last?" Demira asked.

"I do not know," Daneel answered. "They mentioned nothing of the others who left with Maktai. Only that she in particular blamed him for all her family's woes and had finally enacted her retribution."

"You said you heard his last words," Kalec stated. "What were they?"

"'I am sorry, Tareesha.'"

"So now that we know that the rakghoul plague can only be spread to green skinned sith…"Kalec started.

"We need to find that ship," Daneel interrupted. "Because I think the daughter got to the surviving greens first and converted them."

"But there were what, only sixteen…seventeen left?" Kalec asked. "Going by what Demira told me."

"They were at the base looking for the shuttle," Demira concluded. "They want the labs from the ship."

"They already have the ship would be my guess. They were looking for something else," Daneel said. "They want the cloning facilities, but there must be more that they need to enact their plans."

"But why?" the dragon asked.

"Because with the cloning facilities they can recreate more rakghouls and grow their own army," Daneel replied.

"And then she can fulfill their promise to Sargeras by unleashing that army on Azeroth." Demira said.

"How many can she make?" Kalecgos asked worriedly.

"Millions," Demira and Daneel answered together.


	7. Pursuing the Cult of Sith'ari

**_Part seven: Pursuing the Cult of Sith'ari_**

Daneel sat in meditation on the far side of the cave away from the door. He wrestled with his feelings as he contemplated just how close he had come to destroying the city full of innocents above. Her touch and her voice had stopped him, and the absence of the plague within her had granted him a momentary sense of clarity, but still lurking in the depths of his soul was the horror of what could have been. He struggled to purge the image of Demira transforming into a rakghoul from his mind, but the more he tried the harder it was to not see her change…and the despair he felt he would lose her still gripped his heart. Rationally he knew she was safe, she would not change, she was Demira the sin'dorei mage and not a creature mindless and diseased. He reached out further to the Force to calm his emotions, to push away the negative thoughts and fears, to allow his rationality to come to the forefront of his mind and to find the inner peace he knew was there…somewhere.

Closer to the huge hanger-sized door stood Demira. Her arms were wrapped around her stomach as she bit her lip in concentration. With eyes closed she stretched out through the Force as the jedi had taught her. Beyond the door she could sense six living beings. What they were or their sensitivity to the Force she could not tell, her abilities were just not strong enough to distinguish beyond they existed. Her brow furrowed as she tried to reach further. The base was enormous spanning almost as wide as the city. Ironically the dwarves and gnomes who built the tram from Stormwind to Ironforge had never found this base as they tunneled, but they had come close…very close. Had the engineers of that project dug twenty feet deeper they would have caved the roof on one side of the base. What she was looking for she just could not find. Surely there was another entrance to the base besides the giant door before her, but she could not sense any tunnel or indication of another entrance. She opened her eyes and sighed deeply. She just wasn't strong enough in her Force abilities to find what she was looking for. She turned her heard to look back at the jedi seated with his legs crossed and hands steepled before his chest. While she knew Daneel was more than capable of finding what she searched for, the last thing he needed was interruption of his meditation. Demira did not need to the Force to know he was still struggling with his emotions and the price he was willing to extract for his vengeance.

Kalecgos emerged from the tunnel entrance to her left drawing the mage's attention. He smiled politely and walked towards her. He had left after their initial conversation to check on the city above. While he was gone and before she had tried her Force search of the base, she had thought of sending the dragon away. Behind this door she was certain were technologies he had never seen. Although Daneel had never spoken such Demira was convinced Azeroth was not ready for any of the advanced tech the aliens possessed. This feeling she carried since that first day she and the jedi had found his wrecked ship. While she knew some of the tech, like nulentropy containers, would prove very beneficial, even the most seemingly benign technology in the wrong hands could lead to disastrous results. She knew it was why Daneel destroyed every lightsaber after he fought a green sith on this world. As the former blue Aspect drew closer she was still tempted to send him away from this place. As old and wise as the dragons were she wondered what he would do if faced with the wonders she knew lay inside the hidden base. Could he resist the temptation to use whatever he found? Could he keep secret the advanced technology from the rest of the world including his fellow dragons? She needed to be certain before she allowed him to accompany them into the base for she knew he would insist after all that had happened and what Daneel had revealed of the Cult of Sith'ari's plans for Azeroth. It was his world as much as it was hers, and he would naturally want to protect it from danger if possible. He walked up beside her and looked at the door. Demira frowned as she knew she would have to decide soon whether to let him stay or not.

"Things are somewhat returning to normal in the city," he said to her. "The only permanent damage I found was a small wall near one of the canals had collapsed, but otherwise nothing was damaged and nobody was hurt." He walked towards the door a few steps. "Some of the citizens are claiming the Horde is responsible for the tremors."

"Did you tell them anything?" Demira asked.

"No. They don't need to know what happened down here, nor do I think any would really believe me if I had told them the truth." He stopped after walking a couple more steps. He turned to face the mage. "I realize now I should never have doubted either of you before today. After all of my experiences with the younger species I still have much to learn about you. Just when I think I have seen everything you still surprise me with wonders I never thought possible from people so young."

"And if some of those wonders needed to remain secret?" she asked trying to feel how much the dragon would accept from younger species.

"I swear I will not tell anyone what happened here today. Daneel's reputation is safe with me," he replied with a nod towards the jedi still meditating.

"He has deeper concerns right now than his reputation," she said. "I mean…if you were to see even more wonders…some perhaps potentially dangerous…could you keep them secret? Could you refrain from telling even other dragons about such things?"

"What other things?" Kalecgos asked.

Demira walked past him towards the door. His gaze followed her as she stopped and placed her hand on it. She didn't turn to face him. "Behind this door I believe are marvels of technology I dare say you never imagined possible. Wonders…as you would call them…that could make life for people so much easier, but if fallen into the wrong hands could be the most deadly thing possible." She turned her head to look at him with her hand still on the door. "Could you keep such things secret? Could you resist even telling the other former Aspects of what you would see behind these doors?"

"If it poses a danger to Azeroth then I must tell them," he answered.

"That is not what I asked," she replied. "These technologies must be kept secret from everyone including the other former Aspects. I have seen wondrous things, Kalec." She nodded towards Daneel. "His people traveled from planet to planet in ships. They have the ability to store food in containers for indefinite periods of time without even the slightest worry of spoilage. His government ruled over millions of worlds like Azeroth…millions of worlds with trillions of people of all kinds of races and in harmony and peace for over a thousand years. Can you imagine that, Kalec? Can you imagine such a scale of existence?" He said nothing, but the expression on his face told her he had not. "Where he comes from they have such marvelous technology that life would seem simple, but it is not. With all the good technology they have they also live in tumultuous times. His people were at war, Kalec…a war that spanned all of those worlds and where millions of people died. Some of those planets were completely destroyed. Completely. You saw what happened to Theramore…you know what a single mana bomb can do." He nodded his response. "Now imagine if there had been ten of those at one time…or a hundred…or a thousand…or a million. His people have that kind of power, Kalec. The ability to not only kill every single living thing on a planet, but the power to reduce that planet to rubble. Can you…a dragon of immortality…a being of immense power …can you imagine power on that scale? I cannot and yet I have seen some of these things. He has shown them to me and me alone. That city-wide planet he talked about before? I tell you now that city does not exist. A single man wanted to kill another that was hiding in that city, and so to ensure he killed that one person he leveled the entire city…the entire planet…killed millions of people to get just one. Today that once great city is a wasteland. Can you imagine that, Kalec?"

"Why do you ask me these things" he asked quietly.

"Because I have to know if you can be trusted." She walked over to stand just in front of him. "I have to know that the technology inside that base will never reach the hands of a single individual on Azeroth. I have to know that no other person besides the three of us will ever know what lies in that base. Because if just one person with bad intentions ever gets their hands on that kind of power…" her voice trailed off. She looked down at the ground. "He has never asked me to hide this technology because he never had to. I know for a fact that if someone like Garrosh Hellscream could get hold of that kind of power…Theramore would seem small and insignificant next to what they could unleash." She looked back into Kalec's face. "I have to know…can you keep such things secret to keep Azeroth safe?"

After a moment the dragon looked at the mage, then at the door, then at her again. "I said before I should never have doubted you in the first place, Demira. I will not make that same mistake again. I swear to you that I will tell no one what I see here today…not even the other Aspects. What I see here today I will take to my grave whenever and wherever that may be."

She looked at him and squinted. She tried to read him through the Force but couldn't. She would have to accept his word or not. Demira took a deep breath. This decision was hers to make. If he insisted on going inside the base despite her intentions…should he break his promise…she was truly powerless to stop him. He was the quintessential being of arcane power. She cocked her head to the side. "If I asked you to leave…would you?" she finally asked. "Could you just leave after all I have told you?"

"I admit I would always be curious," he replied without hesitation. "But as I said I have come to not doubt you anymore. And with the conviction of what you tell me I believe that I must keep your secret. You are right in the kind of power you describe I would not believe possible from the younger species." He turned to look at the meditating jedi on the other side of the cavern. "But with what I have seen him do both in Dalaran and here…I cannot say the kind of power you describe is impossible." He looked back at the mage. "Yes, Demira…blood elf mage and friend of the jedi…I would leave if you asked me to. I would do that for the safety of Azeroth and all her people."

Demira studied him…his body language. After a moment she sighed. "I will not ask you to leave, Kalecgos. And…thank you…for believing me…believing in us."

"So…should we get him and go inside?" he asked as he started to step towards the jedi. Her arm on his stopped him and he turned to look at her.

"He needs this time alone," she said quietly looking at Daneel. "He…struggles…with what he almost did…with what he feels now." She looked at the dragon. "I can sense his pain still churning inside him."

"Sense?" Kalecgos asked. He looked at the mage then back at the jedi. "He has been teaching you…hasn't he. Teaching you to use this Force." She nodded. "That's why you don't visit the Sunwell. You use this Force."

"Most of the time," she admitted. "The Force is energy like arcane energy. I can harness and manipulate it most of the time just like the arcane before, but it's much more potent because it is generated by all living things. It's not limited in availability as arcane energies are…as long as there is life there is the Force. The same cannot be said of the arcane. I still use spells like any other mage, but I cannot conjure things, though, as with arcane energies." She looked at the jedi. "I also have learned some of the techniques he uses. I'm not near as proficient as he or even close to his power level, but I know enough to understand the struggle he faces now." Demira looked back at Kalecgos. "I'm no jedi nor will I ever be. And there are times I still use arcane energy. I can never use both at the same time, however. He seems to think most mages could learn to use the Force, but he believes few would even attempt to learn how because they are accustomed to arcane energies. And someone like you would never be able to use the Force."

"Because I am a blue dragon and thus part of my very essence is arcane?"

Demira nodded. "That green skinned sith in Dalaran could never have killed you with his Force attack. That arcane part of you would have repelled it no matter how much energy he put into the attack."

Kalec nodded and looked back at the jedi. "So how long do we wait?"

"Until he is ready," Demira replied.

* * *

Daneel stretched out to the Force allowing it to flow through him. His breathing was calm and steady. His body began to float inches above the ground as did rocks and pebbles around him. He thought back to his first teachings on Tython by his training masters. He tried to clear his mind of thought and emotion. He sensed the world around him. The cavern that existed deep under the city of Stormwind. On the other side of the cavern there stood Kalecgos talking to Demira. She was probing him…asking him questions that made both uncomfortable. He reached out further to the rooms beyond the doors. He felt the six lifeforms on the other side. He felt the Force flow around each one and each one coursing with arcane energies. Suddenly in his mind he found himself in a room. Twelve pureblood sith stood before an alter on the ship in orbit over Azeroth. Atop the alter was a golden amulet with red and green jewels in the center, and from each of the twelve mists of purple energy flowed from them to the jewels. They were chanting something in a language he did not understand. There was a flash and then he opened his eyes. He was back in the cavern for a blink and then he was on the ship high above in orbit. Before him as he stood on the bridge was the sun through the viewports. He heard them banging on the doors at the far end where there was a barricade. A shuttle streaked across the viewport. He felt her presence on the shuttle running for safety. The ship was heading towards the sun…and he was at peace knowing she would live and their world was safe. He focused on the mage as the vision ended. She was standing next to the dragon as they both looked at the door. He closed his inner eye to once again stretch out to the Force allowing it to flow through him. The vision had brought him clarity. He would tell her of the first part but not the second. He knew what he had seen, and he would spare her the pain of knowing what he now knew.

* * *

Kitali had greeted Zharn upon his return to Demira and Daneel's home. He told her all that happened with his trip with the gnome, Windi Weathergear, into space in her rocket and seeing what had to be the sith's ship high in orbit over Azeroth. Instead of being angry with the orc as he had feared, Kitali was proud of the man and embraced him. She told him all that had happened since he had departed. The strange creature at the base, the jedi's reaction and subsequent breakdown, and then the arrival of the former Aspect of the blue dragons made Zharn question just what they had gotten themselves into. He reiterated to Kitali he did not regret getting involved with their friends, but he was worried now the problems they were facing were greater than they had imagined. Using his observation and how Demira described the ship to her, Zharn and Kitali decided to scout for the possible base the cult was using with the ship. Kitali left a note for the couple on their hearth. The two climbed onto their mounts and left in search of what they hoped would be the secret Cult of Sith'ari base.

At the harbor north of Silvermoon they charted a goblin ship to Northrend. About a day out from the northern continent they happened across an uncharted island. It was small with a volcano near the eastern side. After coaxing the ship's captain to stop and investigate, which required several mentioning's of possible treasure and loot, the vessel set anchor about a half mile from the western shore. The couple climbed into a raft and rowed to shoreline hoping to find something. Except for some birds flying in the small timber near the base of the volcano there was very little sign of life. Zharn secured the raft to a fallen tree once they reached shore, and as he turned to say a word to Kitali the goblin ship exploded raining debris in all directions leaving little left of the vessel to actually sink into the waters. Both dove for cover in the tree line, and from above they heard a roaring whine. Looking up they saw a ship with fin-like protrusions from each side and the top. It flew over their heads, and as they watched it flew to the top of the volcano and then dropped inside. Kitali looked at the orc with a wide grin. They had found the base.

* * *

Demira stood before the giant door for what she felt was the hundredth time. Daneel had spent two days in deep mediation. During that time she had scoured every inch of the cavern trying to find a way into the base. The blue dragon had left after the first day, but returned just about an hour ago. He was looking at the door as well just as perplexed as she was. There just was no other way into the base, and she threw her hands up in desperation.

"How can anyone be so stupid as to build a base with only one way in or out?" she exclaimed.

"It's actually quite sound if they built this as a last refuge," Kalec said beside her. "Assuming they had enough supplies they could wait inside indefinitely."

"From what I have seen these sith are not that smart, Kalec," she retorted. "For starters they entered into a deal with Sargeras. Then they try to recreate some relic from their past and fail at it. The leader's daughter dies and drives him insane, so what do the rest of them do? Nothing! They hide out and after centuries decide to finally leave him. Centuries Kalec! It took them centuries to make any kind of decision! And when they do make a decision…it's to keep doing what they had been doing…hiding!" She turned and walked to the door to kick it. "Just what was their purpose here? I've known they can be powerful. Daneel mentioned they waged a war in his galaxy and brought his government to the brink of destruction. But these…these sith are nothing like he describes. They are not the schemers and thinkers that Daneel has dealt with. These couldn't even figure out how to fly their own ship that brought them here!"

"Then what about this Cult of Sith'ari?" the former Aspect asked behind her. "They sound to me like a very potent threat if we do nothing."

"It's led by a child born on this world," Daneel said behind them. Demira and Kalec turned to see the jedi walking towards them. She ran to him and embraced him. He hugged her back and looked at the dragon. "In my galaxy the survivors of the Great Hyperspace War found their homeworld that was lost for centuries. They rebuilt themselves with one goal in mind…revenge against the Republic and the Jedi. They prepared for over a thousand years until they were certain they were ready to enact their revenge." He looked at Demira. "These sith came from a time just after that war where they were running in fear for their existence. When Sargeras approached them they were already in hiding. Once they came here and things did not work as they had planned they resorted to what they knew…they returned to hiding as they had been when Sargeras found them. But their children born on this world…they never knew the fear of being hunted to extinction. The few that were aware of their heritage were free of that fear for they never had seen a jedi or been to other worlds. Azeroth is their home and always has been. I believe this cult leader possesses some pride of what the sith had been, and she is trying to recreate that glory on this world." He then told them of his vision of the twelve sith in ritual as they transferred a part of their essences into the amulet.

"So this amulet is the key to their plans," the dragon said after hearing the jedi's story. "We find this amulet and the danger should be over."

"Don't forget the ship," Demira reminded him. "If the clone did not get to the ship and the cult has it as we think they might, then it plays I think an even greater role in their plans. With the replication of these creatures they can still unleash an army even without the amulet. I mean…she's already created at least two rakghouls…who knows how many more she has?"

"But you killed at least one of them," Kalec countered.

"But if she has the ship and the cloning facilities she could already have many more," Demira replied.

Daneel walked to the right side of the door and stopped. He did not face the other two. "We do not yet know enough." He reached out and ran his hand along the edge of the door. "I think we might find some answers behind this door."

"But how do we…" Demira started. She stopped as the jedi withdrew his lightsaber and ignited it. He plunged the blade into the door and slowly cut a large rectangle from about just above his head to the floor and just wider than his shoulders. The metal glowed hot and melted where the green blade had cut. After he finished Daneel stood back from the door and extinguished the blade. Demira looked at him and then the door. "That didn't work," she said. "You cut the door, but not all of the way through. We still cannot get inside." His answer was only a smile, and then he reached out with one hand and pushed through the Force. The metal where he had cut strained and then flew into the base leaving a hole in the door. Demira shook her head and walked up next to the Jedi. "Show off," she said with a grin.

"Are you impressed?" Daneel asked with a smile.

"A little," she replied.

Kalec walked past them towards the hole. In passing he remarked, "If you two are done flirting I think we have a base to investigate." Then he walked through the door into the base. The mage and jedi quickly kissed and then followed the dragon. Inside they found the remains of a hanger with a shuttle wrecked into the far wall. The hull was scorched from blaster fire. The left side wall was cluttered with debris and wreckage apparently from when the shuttle had crashed into the hanger. On the right side was a door leading into another part of the base. Everything was covered in dust, but from their position by the door was a trail of footprints left by those they had sensed earlier. The trail led to the door on the right. Daneel held is lightsaber ready and led the way. Demira whispered to Kalec to erect an arcane barrier to protect him from what they might find inside. At the door Daneel paused and turned to face them. He brought his left hand to his face and indicated quiet. He walked through the doorway into a corridor about thirty feet long ending at a lift. They walked cautiously to it and stopped. About ten feet down the lift had jammed in the tube. It was tilted and had not seen use in years. To their left was an access ladder that ran down the length of the tube and out of their sight under the lift. The dust had been wiped clean from the rungs. Daneel swung his leg over and began to climb down. The others followed. The space by the lift was tight, and being that Kalec was larger than both Demira and Daneel he could not fit through the opening as the other two could. With a whisper he climbed back up and kept watch at the top. The mage and jedi continued to descend into the tube for another four levels after confirming each of the levels before had not been used…the dust was undisturbed. Below the fourth level the tube was submersed in water, and the couple concluded they would find nothing further. The entry to the fourth level was mostly blocked with debris, but the dust had been cleared by people climbing through a small opening barely tall enough for a gnome to walk upright. Daneel reached out through the Force. He sensed the six beings further in, and he turned to face Demira. He whispered for her to stay behind. She shook her head, and with a pleading expression he asked her again to stay behind. With a sigh she relented.

He turned and crawled further into the room. His feelings were still in too much turmoil to place the mage in danger so soon, and thankfully she relented hopefully realizing why he had asked her to stay behind. For twenty feet he crawled though a tunnel created by a fallen wall and broken chairs, cabinets, and tables. He came to a turn and crawled another thirty feet. He started to hear voices as he neared the end of the tunnel. There was a faint light flickering at the end where someone had erected a torchlight in the room beyond. He could smell the smoke from the fire.

"There's nothing here," he heard a gruff voice say in the room ahead of him. "The mistress told us to look for it here, but there is nothing here but garbage."

"Just keep looking," a woman replied. "It has to be here somewhere." He heard a couple additional voices grumbling indistinctively. "Hey! She said it's here so it must be. She hasn't been wrong so far."

"There is always a first time," the first voice replied. He saw the owner come close to the entrance. It was a goblin wearing a black hoodless robe. "I've always had a nose for this and I am telling you there is nothing here but junk." The being turned and left Daneel's view. "I say we leave and tell her we couldn't find anything here." He heard a couple of voices mumble agreement.

"We can't return without what she sent us for. You remember what happened to the last bunch that failed?" the woman responded. "I don't feel like dying because you developed a cough."

"It's dusty!"

"You'll be dusty when she finishes with you," the woman retorted. "And I won't let you leave. Any of us return empty handed all of us gets fried." There was more grumbling at that.

"Then I say we leave entirely. Why go back? We just leave and go back to where we came from"

"There is no going back to our old lives," the woman replied. "Once we joined up there is no leaving. We keep looking until we find it. That is the only option."

"Says you," the goblin said. "I'll take my chances."

Daneel heard a scream as light flashed near the end of the tunnel. Something sounded like a crash and then there were a few more flashes. He saw a sin'dorei collapse near the entrance of the tunnel and a few more screams. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, and she looked at Daneel's face. She tried to point with a shaky, bloody finger, but a flash of lightning struck her in the back ending her life before she could say a word. There was another crashing sound and then the death gurgles of another being. After a few seconds of silence he heard small footfalls coming towards the fallen blood elf.

"Nobody tells me what I can and can't do," the goblin said. Daneel saw him step near the dead woman and kneel next to her body. "Especially you," the goblin said to the corpse. He looked towards the tunnel and spotted the jedi crouched a few feet from the entrance. "Shit!" the goblin exclaimed as he scampered from the tunnel.

Daneel quickly crawled from the tunnel into the room. He saw the goblin duck through a doorway at the other side. Littered on the floor were the bodies of a human man, two gnome women, and a male dwarf. With the sin'dorei woman near his feet that counted as five of the six he sensed in the base. The torchlight he thought he saw was actually a campfire set in the middle of the room. It had been ransacked with crates broken and their contents scattered along the floor. Some had documents, a few holocrons or datacrons, and data discs. Very little else remained in the room. He heard a door slam in the distance, and began walking to where the goblin had exited the room. He found a corridor about twenty meters long with several rooms to each side. The room at the end of the corridor was the only one with a shut door that he could see. He walked slowly knowing the goblin had closed himself in the last room. As he passed each room he noticed all had been ransacked similar to the first near the now non-functioning lift. As he got closer to the closed door he heard crashing coming from behind it.

"I won't go back," the goblin's muffled voice came through the door. "Tell her I'm dead…tell her I wasn't here…tell her anything!"

Daneel stopped before the door and stood to the side. "Tell who?" he said through the door.

"That night elf bitch!" the goblin shouted. "What she wants is not here! I won't go back! Just tell you found us all dead!"

"What's not here?" Daneel asked coolly.

"You know…the crystal," the goblin replied. "She wants it to fight that jedi that came here. But it's not here! There are no crystals, gems, or any jewels here! Just paper and words!"

"Why would she need a crystal to fight me?" Daneel asked more to himself.

"To…wait…you're the jedi?" the goblin queried behind the door. There was more crashing from the other side. "Shit! You are that guy? Oh fuck!" Daneel heard more crashing. "I am so fucked!" There was a moment of silence. "Um…Mr. Jedi…are you here to…to…kill us?" he heard the goblin ask just on the other side of the door.

"Why would you think I came here to kill you?" he asked.

"Because…because she told us that the jedi always want to kill sith. And you are the jedi she was talking about. So…um…are you…here to kill us?"

"You are a goblin not a sith," the jedi replied. "And what she refers to happened centuries ago."

"But I am sith," the frightened goblin said behind the closed door. "We said the words and she told us we were now sith. And the jedi are the enemies of the sith. They hate us for what we are."

"And what is a sith?" Daneel asked. He knew the goblin really didn't have the answer, but he wanted to find out what the cult leader was teaching her underlings. "What words did she make you say?"

"The words? Um…peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion I gain strength. Through strength I gain power. Through power I gain victory. Through victory my chains are broken," the goblin replied. There was silence.

"And those are all the words she had you say?" the jedi asked. He noticed there was no mention of the Force in this version of the sith code. The reply was more silence. "What do those words mean?"

"What do they mean?" the goblin repeated. "I…um…never wondered what they mean. I just know that when she has everything she needs then we will take over all of Azeroth and reward us who follow her with riches beyond our wildest dreams."

"I am guessing she rewards you well if you do not fail. Am I right? But what does she do to those that do fail her?" the jedi asked. "If you couldn't find this crystal she sent you here for then what would she do to you?"

"She unleashes lighting from her fingertips is what she does," the goblin replied. "But only two have ever failed her. The others who succeed have money, power, love slaves…everything they want."

"You have seen these riches yourself? Is that why you follow her?"

"I haven't seen them personally. No one has. Those who she deems successful she sends to her stronghold where they are forever safe from the jedi."

"What was this crystal she sent you here to find? Why does she think it will help her fight me?"

"She told us it's vital to making a weapon. A weapon which only she can wield against a jedi," the goblin answered. "But it's not here!"

Daneel turned from the door and began walking slowly back down the corridor to the lift. So the leader of the cult was looking for a crystal to construct a lightsaber. What the goblin described as punishment for failure was Force lightning, so the woman was Force sensitive. The fact that the code she made her cultists learn made no mention of the Force told the jedi she was either withholding that power for herself or she had not found any other Force sensitives. He leaned towards the latter. As he reached the door to the final room a blast of arcane energy struck him in the back. He turned around to face the goblin who had apparently regained his resolve. The mage stood looking at the jedi with his hands before him preparing another spell.

"If I kill you then she will reward me," the goblin said. "Even if I failed to find the crystal killing a jedi should more than prove my worth to her."

"She did not tell you everything about the jedi," Daneel replied taking his lightsaber from his belt. "Like how arcane magics have no effect on me." He ignited his blade. The green glow filled the dark corridor. The goblin stared at the blade humming at the jedi's side. "I assure you this is a battle you cannot win," Daneel continued. "Back away now and you will live."

"He won't live anyway," came a voice from the darkness of one of the side rooms. The goblin shrieked as lightning poured into his body. "The mistress does not reward failure of any kind."

The mage's body slumped to the floor. From the shadows emerged a woman with red skin. Daneel recognized her immediately. "You are dead," he said quietly. "Your body is at the base in Eversong Woods."

"There is a body there, yes," the clone of Selene replied. "But that one was a failure." She wielded no weapon. Daneel extinguished the blade of his lightsaber and placed it back on his belt. The woman scoffed. "Such noble jedi sentiments. Unwilling to fight me with your blade because I don't carry one?"

"I do not need one to face you," the jedi replied. He took a deep breath. "I see the cult has found the cloning facilities."

"Tareesha needed someone to keep these whelps in line," the clone replied with a scowl. She raised her arms towards the jedi. "And with you out of the way she can complete her plans to dominate this world.

Lightning sprouted from her fingertips towards the jedi. He raised his arms before him; hands open with thumbs and index fingers touching. The lightning arced to his fingers and dissipated into his hands. The clone looked at the jedi in bewilderment. She opened her mouth to speak when the lightning shot back at her from his hands. She writhed in agony as the electricity coursed through her body. She slumped to the floor as the counter-attack ended. Daneel walked over to his fallen foe; her body scorched from the rebounded attack. She looked at him with short rasping breaths.

"There are more of us," she said weakly. "You cannot stop us."

"What happened to the original Selene clone?" the jedi asked standing over her. "Did you kill her?"

The clone laughed with a cough. "Tareesha needed the ship," it replied before collapsing in death.

Daneel slumped back against the corridor wall. Events were unfolding with schemes he had not thought of. The sith child had harnessed the power of the cloning facilities aboard the ship in orbit. She was making an army of clones from the stored genetic material. He thought back to the room full of Jaina Proudmore clones, and he gasped. With the material of the native specimens Varok had collected this new sith could replace key members of Azerothian society. Proudmore was not the only person of notoriety the sith had been tracking. He stood and turned towards the room with the entrance to the lift. Standing a short distance away was Demira. She had climbed the rest of the way down the ladder and was looking at the body of the clone on the floor.

"She looks like the other one," Demira said quietly. She looked at Daneel. "I saw what she did to the goblin…how she attacked you. When you didn't come and didn't come I got nervous and decided to find you."

He walked to the mage and embraced her. "I did not mean to worry you."

She looked back at the clone's body on the floor. "Things just got really complicated…didn't they," she stated. She looked up at his face. The answer was written all over it.


	8. The Rescue

**_Part Eight: The Rescue_**

Kitali blew hair from her eyes as she leaned against the trunk of a tree. A few yards from her Zharn hid in the same manner. He looked at the pandaren and grinned. Behind them were several warlocks and their minions scouring the small timber. Zharn swung his mace blindly in the air. It struck an imp running between his tree and Kitali's. She flashed him a smile and reached for a totem from her pouch and placed it on the ground near her feet. Closing her eyes she called upon the spirits of wind to blow the warlocks back from their position. They answered her plea as a gale-force wind struck the warlocks knocking them over. A couple were caught in a twister and carried far from sight. The two remaining warlocks hugged the trunks of trees as the winds continued to assail them. The orc smiled and withdrew from his hiding place. Calling on the spirits of lighting; he asked for, and received, a few bolts to strike the remaining attackers. Within seconds the warlocks were electrocuted along with their minions.

"We can't stay here," Kitali yelled above the howling winds. "This island is too small for us to hide on and there are surely more of them in the volcano."

"I'm open for suggestions," the orc replied. "With the goblins at the bottom of the ocean I don't see a way of leaving this island."

She looked to their left and just a hundred yards away was their raft still tied to a fallen tree. She stood and began running. "Follow me," she said not looking back.

"You can't be serious!" the orc exclaimed as they neared the raft. "Where are we supposed to go in that? And hide from that airship should they decide to follow us?"

"Just take off your shirt," the pandaren said as she began untying the knot of the rope.

"I don't think this is the time…" the orc started. Kitali glared at him causing him to stop in midsentence. He dropped his mace and shield to the ground. "Ok…but I don't see how my shirt will help out." He handed the pandaren his shirt leaving his heavily muscled chest bare.

She took it from him with only a second's hesitation. She turned back to the raft and untied the rope. "We need a thick branch," she said as she worked on the raft. "Make that two branches. Sturdy ones."

"I think I see what you are up to," Zharn replied as he turned back to the woods. He ran off for a few minutes while Kitali pushed the raft towards the waterline. He returned with two branches…one about three feet in length and six inches thick, the other about two feet long and four inches thick. She took the two and with the rope began to fashion a cross. Zharn grabbed his mace and shield and threw them into the raft. Kitali finished with her work and climbed aboard. Zharn pushed the raft into the water and then jumped in almost capsizing the small craft. He grabbed the oars and began paddling as Kitali sought a way to fashion the cross to the raft. Behind them more warlocks appeared from the base and started running towards the shore.

"You need to hurry, Kit," Zharn said as he rowed. "Pretty soon they'll send that airship after us."

"You keep rowing…I'll worry about that airship," she replied. She secured the cross to the bow and then stretched Zharn's shirt over it. She brought a totem from her pouch and set it on the floor of the raft. "I'll see if the winds will help us again," she said as she closed her eyes. After a moment the winds picked up. The shirt billowed becoming a makeshift sail, but it was not entirely effective. She tried to secure the bottom sides of the shirt to keep a more open shape to catch the winds, but the attempt was unsuccessful…it just was not enough. "It's not working," she said. "I don't know what we can do."

Zharn said nothing as he pulled the oars inside the raft. He reached into his pouch and closed his eyes. Kitali stared at the warlocks on the beach as they screamed and hollered at the retreating pair. Then she heard it…the whine coming from the top of the false volcano. It rose from the top and slowly turned towards them. They were doomed. This raft was not going anywhere fast and now it was in the open water easy to see. Like ducks in a pond the airship could take its time before finishing them. She watched in horror as the ship came closer. She did not notice the skies darkening or the whispering of the orc in the raft with her. The airship closed the distance, and as it soared over the shoreline lighting struck from the clouds at the vessel. It lurched, but still kept coming. More lighting struck the ship. Kitali covered her eyes as the flashing intensified…more and more lightning struck the airship…each thundering impact upon its hull was deafening…until she heard an explosion. She peeked through her hands to see the ship wreckage raining debris upon the warlocks on the shore who were now scrambling for cover. The bulk of the fiery craft landed on a few of them. Kitali whooped as the greatest danger was past…the ship was destroyed. She looked at the orc who was smiling. She leaned over and kissed him passionately. When their lips parted the orc was still smiling.

"That may be the sexiest thing you have ever done," she said coyly.

"I'll be sexier if I can find us a place to hide. I am sure that was not the only airship they have, and the spirits cannot always answer us like they have today," he replied. His smile waned. "As much as I want to relish this moment, we are not safe yet." He looked back at the island. "We should try checking the side with the volcano. There might be a cave or someplace with more cover."

She returned to seriousness knowing her lover was right. She looked down and padded her pouch. "Then we can use this thing I grabbed from Demira's. It's one of those talking devices she uses with Daneel."

"You stole from our friends?" the orc accused with a smile.

"I borrowed it," she replied innocently. "In case we needed to contact them. I've seen her use it at their house. It was on the mantle next to the note I left. I wrote that I was bringing it with us."

Zharn smiled as he began rowing the their small craft towards the other side of the island. "Now that kind of thinking is what I call sexy," the orc said.

"But I am not taking off my shirt," she replied turning to watch the shoreline for more of the cult's forces.

"Not fair," Zharn replied. "I wanted some eye candy too." She glared at him as he smiled and rowed. "What? You get to see me all bare-chested and I don't get the same from you?"

She shook her heard and looked back at the shore. After a moment of silence she looked back at the orc. "We survive this I'll take off more than my shirt for you, hon." She looked back at the island and smiled as she was certain they were moving a little faster.

* * *

Demira and Daneel rejoined Kalec and then the three of them left the base. Once back outside in the gorge Demira opened a portal to their home. While she did that Daneel collapsed the tunnel sealing the base and everything inside. True to his vow with Demira, Kalecgos then placed a glamour on the fallen debris to make it look natural as the rest of the gorge. The couple said their goodbyes to the dragon after telling him what they had found inside the base. He thanked them for the information and reiterated his pledge before they parted company. Demira and Daneel emerged from the portal and walked into their home. It was night outside and the stars were shining brightly. The couple decided to retire for the night as they were both exhausted. The next morning they awoke and while Demira prepared their breakfast Daneel sat on the couch perusing some of the data discs he had salvaged from the Stormwind base. Demira brought him a plate filled with bacon, two eggs, and some toast. He took the plate from her while still browsing at the portable terminal on a small table.

"Find anything useful?" the mage asked as she sat in a chair with her own plate filled similar to the one she gave the jedi.

"A lot of the data is corrupted," he replied. "What I can gather from these is that the sith had found a planet and was hiding when they found some strange alien technology." He looked at Demira as she was eating and listening to him. "What is described here almost sounds like lost Rakata artifacts and machinery."

"Isn't that the ancient civilization you mentioned that enslaved another race after a bloody war across your galaxy?" she asked between bites. He nodded back to her. "And this stuff they found was still working?"

"Appears that way," he replied sitting back on the couch. "One thing that has bothered me since we went up to that ship was where did they get all of that cloning equipment? Warships of that time period wouldn't have carried that kind of technology with them. So where did they get it?" He leaned forward and pointed to the computer screen. "But reading this I understand how they did. It was on this planet they were hiding on…it's old Rakata tech that they found. Along with something called an Infinite Machine…but it doesn't say what this machine actually does and I have never heard of such a thing before."

"It doesn't say or they didn't know?" she asked.

"It doesn't say with what I can retrieve," he replied. "It might be in the corrupted files, but either way I just don't know what it is or what it does. But if it is Rakata in origin then it's most likely something very powerful." He sat back on the couch again. "If it's similar to the Infinite Engine Revan created then it would explain how they were able to make these bases and the cloning facilities."

"What is the Infinite Engine?" Demira asked as she stood from her chair. She walked to their kitchen. "Is that something like the engines on your ships?"

"Something more complex. The engine Revan built was small…about the size your hand if I remember the spy reports correctly. It would create whatever you needed provided you gave it enough energy. That could come from anything…plants, animals, dead bodies, water…anything could serve as fuel for this thing. But the one he made was small so it couldn't make much."

The mage walked back from the kitchen and leaned over the back of the couch with her head next to his. "So if they found something similar, but older and bigger it could make the facilities for the sith," she concluded. "And the materials for their bases."

"It would explain a lot," the jedi added. "But it's not the main danger we need to think about right now. Right now it's the cult and their plans." He turned his head to hers. "I think that…"

He was interrupted by a beeping coming from their bedroom. Demira sighed as she straightened and walked to the bedroom. After a minute she returned holding Daneel's holocommunicator. Her brow was furrowed as she looked at the jedi. "Why is this thing beeping?" To her shock for a brief second a three dimensional image of Kitali and Zharn appeared above the device. She dropped it on the floor as the image ceased. "What was that?"

_"Is this working?"_ they heard Zharn ask. They both looked at the holocom lying on the floor. Part of the image was lost in the floorboards, and Demira hurriedly picked it up as the image faded again. She was about to the activate the switch on the side when the image reappeared.

_"I thought you said you knew how this thing worked,"_ Zharn's image stated.

_"I said I've seen Demira use it…"_ the Kitali image was saying when it faded yet again.

Demira thumbed the switch. "Kit? Kit can you hear me?" she shouted. "Hit the red button on the side of the thing." Daneel was now standing and had walked up next to the mage. "Kit?"

_"Demira? Can you hear me?"_ they heard Kitali say. _"Is this thing really working?"_

"Hold it up in front of you," Demira replied. After a few seconds an upside down image of Zharn and Kitali appeared above Demira's device. "Turn it over," she said. The image rotated until it was upright if still slightly slanted to the left. Zharn was holding the device. He was not wearing a shirt, and Kitali was next to him with bare shoulders and holding something over her chest. They appeared to be in a cave. "Where are you guys?"

_"We found the base,"_ Kitali said with a wide smile. Daneel sat back on the couch and began punching keys on the portable computer. _"It's on this island about a day from Northrend."_

"What base?" Demira asked. "The base is under Stormwind. We found Daneel there and it was mainly deserted."

_"I saw the ship when I flew into space,"_ Zharn answered with a tusky grin. _"It was over this area, and we hired a goblin ship to bring us out here."_

_"And there are cultists here, Demira. Warlocks and they had this airship that blew up the goblins, but Zharn destroyed it,"_ Kitali added.

"Wait…Zharn went into space? You saw the ship? The sith ship?" Demira asked.

"Cut off the communication," Daneel said from the couch. "Tell them to turn off the holocommunicator…now!"

"But…why? They saw the ship," Demira protested.

"The sith can track their signal! Cut off the communication!" he stood and stopped as the image shifted above the holocommunicator. Two blood elves stood behind their friends. There were some indistinct voices, and then the image blurred and faded.

'KIT! ZHARN!" Demira yelled at the device. "Answer me! Kit!"

"They've been captured," Daneel said as he sat back down and punched keys on the terminal again.

"But where are they? And there is another base?" she said excitedly. "How are we going to find them?"

"I started tracking their signal when I realized it was them," the jedi answered. "That's how I found the sith's tracking signal. I am trying my own trace to see where it came from." He looked at Demira. "As long as the sith device is still active I can collate their location." The terminal beeped and he looked back down. With a sigh he fell back into the couch. "They cut off the device. I have a general location, but that is still over one hundred kilometers in radius."

* * *

The lead blood elf grabbed the holocommunicator from Zharn's hand and threw it to the ground. With an exaggerated step she crushed the device under her heel. Her partner was holding a staff aimed at the couple sitting half naked in a cave not far above the shoreline. With a wave of his finger he indicated for Kitali and Zharn to stand. They did not move as a third party entered the cave entrance behind the two sin'dorei. At the sound of a snap and hiss the leader turned as a red blade cut through her chest. The mage with the staff wheeled around to see his partner's body fall to the ground just a second before his head fell to join it. The couple stared in disbelief at the red skinned woman wielding the double-bladed lightsaber. She extinguished the blades and looked back outside.

"You two…get dressed," the woman demanded. "They'll send more once these two fail to report back in."

"Who are you?" Zharn asked. The woman wore a black two-piece robe that left her toned midriff bare. She did not look back at them.

"She's a clone!" Kitali answered. "She looks just like the body that Demira and I found at the base by their house."

The woman looked back at the couple. "I am a clone, but not the type you are thinking of." She turned back to look outside. "I was hunting the last two greens when they were intercepted by these people. I have been hiding and studying them for the past week." She looked back as Kitali finished putting her shirt on. Zharn was standing next to her holding his mace and shield. "We must hurry. This is not a time for fornication." She walked to the entrance and peered down the small trail that led to shore.

"We were not fornicating," Kitali protested. "We were just trying to dry out our clothes."

"His body says otherwise," the woman replied not looking back. "The trail to the shore looks clear. Hurry!" She left the cave not waiting for the couple.

Kitali looked at Zharn who was wearing a sheepish grin on his face. "Just what did she mean by your body saying otherwise?" She looked down and then back at his face. "Really?" She left to follow the sith out of the cave sighing as she walked ahead of Zharn.

"In my defense you did have your shirt off," Zharn replied.

They followed the sith woman about a hundred yards down the trail where she stopped by the edge of a cliff. She looked back at them. "Can you both swim?" They nodded back to her. "Jump into the water here. Swim down about twenty meters and you will find another cave entrance. Swim into it for another hundred meters and you will arrive into an air filled cavern. I will stay behind until I cannot see you and to make sure we are not followed. I will then meet you in the underwater cave."

"What's a meter?" Zharn asked.

"Just look for the cave entrance straight below," the sith urged. "Jump in now before the reinforcements arrive to find out what happened to the other two."

Not waiting Kitali jumped off the cliff into the water. Zharn shrugged his shoulders and jumped in after her. They swam for about sixty feet before they found the cave the woman told them about. They looked at each other and began to swim into the cave. About a hundred feet in Kitali's lungs were burning from the lack of air. She stopped and looked at Zharn…fear written on her face. She gulped and an air bubble escaped her mouth. Zharn swam up to her and grabbed her face…her arms were moving franticly. He pulled her close and looked into her eyes and smiled. He held up a finger and with his other hand reached down into the pouch at his waist. He pulled out a bag and showed it to the pandaren. He gave her a reassuring smile as he brought the bag to her lips. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply from the bag and relaxed as her lungs filled with precious air. She opened her eyes and looked at the smiling orc. He gave her a slight nod and with his eyes motioned for her to continue swimming further into the cave. Kitali smiled around the bag and turned to swim the rest of the way. After she was ahead of him by a few yards he followed. His lungs were on fire, but he would not let her know his discomfort. He swam this way for another hundred and fifty feet…Kitali still several yards ahead of him…when he could hold his breath no longer. Black spots blurred his vision, and with a last push forward with all of his strength he surged forward before opening his mouth as blackness overtook him.

Kitali emerged from the water into a dark cave. She took a fire totem from her pouch and placed it ahead of her on the ground. It illuminated the small cave that was round…almost too round to be natural. She could not see the other side. She climbed from the water and looked back for Zharn. After he had not appeared for another minute she began to worry. She was walking back into the water when his body surfaced face down a few yards away.

"Zharn!" She screamed as she swam to him. Turning him over she noticed he was not breathing. She brought him to the edge of the water and laid him on his back. "Don't do this to me, Zharn," she cried as her eyes welled with tears. She placed her hands on his chest and began pumping his lungs. "You can't leave me like this." After another minute he gasped and spat water. She turned him on his side as he expunged more water from his lungs. He coughed and looked at her and smiled. "Why did you do that?" she asked quietly. "You had the air bag."

"And I gave it to you," he said. He reached up to touch her cheek. "You needed it more than I."

"You could have died," she whispered.

"And I would have gladly if it meant saving you," he replied.

She said nothing as she embraced him with tears running freely down her cheeks. They held each other in the dark cave for what seemed like hours when the sith woman appeared from the back of the cave. They looked up to see she was completely dry…she had not swam to the cave. She looked at the couple and then walked to the left side of the cave and sat on the floor. She breathed deeply then looked at the couple staring at her.

"I am certain we have not been followed and should not be discovered for some time," the woman finally said. "And I am sure you have several questions for me. For starters I am assuming you are associated with the jedi and his mistress?"

"You could say that we are close to Demira and Daneel," Kitali answered. "But just who in the hell are you?"

"You may call me Selene as that is the only name I have ever had," the woman replied. "When last I saw the jedi I told him I would hunt the last abominations of my race and he would never see me again. I had almost accomplished that task. Only two remained and I had tracked them to a cave not far from the Dark Portal."

"So it was not your body we saw at the base?" the pandaren asked.

"No," Selene replied. "These people call themselves the Order of the Sith'ari, but they are no sith. They are a cult like many others on this world." She stood and began pacing the room. "They apprehended the two remaining greens before I could complete my task, but I followed them to this place. Once here I learned they had procured genetic material from Varok's daughter and had already begun producing copies of her. But they are accelerated and live only briefly."

"How briefly?" Zharn asked as he sat up. "And what do you mean by accelerated?"

"They are using facilities in this place," the woman answered still pacing. "The clones are created mature and with partially functional memories, but the facilities here are faulty. The clones are capable to use the machinery and technology based on their memories, but because they are created at a mature level they age within days. After forty-eight hours the cells start to break down and the clone expires." She stopped and looked at the couple. "This place…this facility…is no island as it appears to be. It is a manufactured facility based on ancient alien technology. The original piece as near as I can tell was small," she said holding up her fist. "But it replicates rapidly depending on what energy it is given. My…father…and his associates intended to place this device on this world, but it was lost in the ocean centuries ago. They believed it irretrievable until the woman that leads this cult found it by accident about fifty years ago. Since that time she has been adding to its energy source to mask it as an island." She began pacing again. "The faulty clones were using the few shuttles here to reach the ship…the ship I intended to destroy. Now she has access to cloning facilities that are much more elaborate and sophisticated. She intends to use it to make more greens."

"Do you know what she intends to do with these greens once she has created them?" Kitali asked.

"No," Selene replied. "Once they got the two captives up on the ship they have not returned to the surface. But I hear rumors from the natives that are part of this cult. They say she is creating an army on that ship. Some believe the tale, but others are skeptical. You see…none of them have actually seen the ship." She stopped and looked at the couple. "Only the faulty clones have been used to pilot the shuttles. They had only three left until this morning when you destroyed the one sent after you." She smiled. "The rest have been wrecked or lost as the clones piloting them…expired." She began pacing again. "Until your arrival I had planned to pose as one of the clones and steal a shuttle to the ship in orbit, but that has now changed."

"How so?" Zharn asked. "What would our arrival have to do with the change in your plans?"

Selene stopped pacing and looked at the orc. "There has been no contact with the ship for two days. That shuttle is still up there as is their mistress. And after your destruction of the shuttle they sent after you they have only one left. Without orders from their mistress they will not send it to look for you…or anywhere else for that matter."

"How did you find out about all of this?" Kitali asked. Selene looked at her incredulously. "I mean…you may look like the other clones, but if the cultists are not running the show while their mistress is missing…then who is?"

"Clever," the woman replied with a grin. "Nobody is running it. Despite their leader finding this place fifty years ago, the cult here itself has only been around for the past year. With this world existing in tumultuous times, the people she recruited were desperate for any kind of salvation they were offered. And she made sure she enlisted no one with any kind of leadership capabilities. She has sole power over their actions and movements and controls them through their fears like a true sith would, but again she is no sith." She started pacing again. "The clones do not have the mental capacity to lead in her absence or the longevity as is well known amongst the cultists here otherwise I could have tried to take it over. Infiltration and information gathering has been easy, but to get to the real answers I need to get to that ship, and time is running out for me. I can only hope the jedi arrives soon."

"Why?" Zharn and Kitali asked together.

"Because I am dying and I want to see this through before the end," Selene replied.

* * *

Daneel and Demira arrived at the coordinates he had traced from the sith signal. They flew in a two-seater speeder they quickly procured from the base near their home. They found nothing for the first two hours as Daneel reached out through the Force searching for their friends. He finally connected to their presence, and as he guided the speeder to where he felt them they saw the island, but it was moving. He set the speeder on the shoreline near the base of what appeared to be a volcano. Walking along the waterline they found a wrecked raft. Stretching out again through the Force Daneel surmised the couple was somewhere under the water. He took two rebreathers from his pouch and handed one to Demira. Together they swam into the waters for about thirty meters before finding an underwater cave. Looking at each other and with no other lead they swam into the cave. About a hundred meters in they came to the small area where there was air. Searching the area they found signs where there had been three people in the cave. They followed tracks in the dirt to a corridor near the back. They walked another hundred feet to a door. Daneel touched the keypad, and it opened to reveal a room similar to those found at the base near their home. On one side were several beds, and in two of those beds was Zharn and Kitali sleeping. Near them sitting on a third was one of the red skinned Selene clones. Upon seeing the jedi and the mage the clone stood. Demira tensed, but Daneel's hand on hers stopped her from acting further.

"So you are not dead as we had thought," the jedi said.

"How can you be sure?" Demira asked beside him.

"Yes, Jedi, how can you be so sure I am who I appear to be?" Selene asked.

"You are wearing a lightsaber," the jedi replied. "If the cult leader is searching for crystals to make one, then it's reasonable to assume none of her clones would have such a weapon."

Demira relaxed as the clone smiled. Kitali and Zharn stirred from their slumber. The couples embraced relieved to find the orc and pandaren alive. They turned to the clone who again told her story to Demira and Daneel. The pieces began to fit in the jedi's mind. The Rakata facility, the Infinite Machine, was indeed the island they were standing in and was functional, but the sith really had no knowledge of how to make it work. They lost it or control of it at some point. Once in the ocean it had an unlimited supply of energies to pull from and self-replicated in much the same fashion other Rakata facilities like the Mother Machine on Belsavis or the Star Forge Revan had found centuries ago. Sometime later after the Infinite Machine had grown to something close to its current size the woman, Tareesha, found it. Recognizing what it really was she seized control, but since her ancestors really did not understand the technology she didn't either. True to sith fashion she hatched her schemes anyway arrogantly believing she could control it. When that plan failed she then had gone to the base near their home to get the shuttle and fly to the ship in orbit as it had the coordinates programmed into its navicomputer. Once she had the ship she would have access to the more functional cloning facilities Varok had used for centuries and could then begin using the amulet on clones created from the two remaining greens Selene had not killed. He surmised that the island cloning facilities were recently 'manufactured' to make use of the Selene genetic material to operate the shuttles and technology thereby allowing her to run her new cult and keep any true power from them. But because of the short lifespan of the clones created on the surface it was not sufficient to create the lasting rakghoul army Tareesha wanted to unleash upon Azeroth. He explained his theory to the others.

"Then we need to destroy this place," Demira said after the jedi finished. "It's as much a danger as the ship is."

"But how can we do that?" Zharn asked.

"I have a plan that can work," Selene answered. "First we need to get these two out of here. The fewer people involved the better."

"How do we do that?" Kitali asked. "We don't know how to use any of this stuff."

"The speeder Demira and I used has an autopilot. You can take that back to the base near our home," Daneel replied. He looked at Selene. "What is the rest of your plan?"

"You need to get to the hanger from the outside and secure the shuttle. Demira and I can enter through the base and reach the core to overload it and destroy this place."

"Us?" Demira queried.

"Yes…us," the clone replied. "I pass easily as one of the clones, and you as a blood elf mage can disguise yourself as a cultist. We get to the core which is about one hundred meters below us. I have had a chance to study the machine enough to know there is a self destruct." She looked at the jedi. "I think at one point the Rakata built this thing as a prison, but since my father and his cronies got hold of it that purpose changed. But the self destruct is there as part of its original programming."

"Why?" Demira asked.

"Because if the prisoner were to escape then the facility would be destroyed thus also killing the prisoner. I have seen other facilities with similar fail-safe's," Daneel answered. "This could actually work."

"And with the shuttle we can then reach the ship and destroy it as well thus ending this farce of a cult," Selene added. "And the legacy I want to destroy."

* * *

Kitali and Zharn had been loaded into the speeder and set for home. Daneel traversed the side of the volcano to reach the hanger that was near the summit. Selene and Demira proceeded with their part of the plan into the facility. The interior was much different than the other bases. Where they had smooth walls and some decorations, this place was largely open with catwalks and open staircases and felt more industrial. Amongst these were what appeared to be large assembly lines, but none of them were operating. Everything was metal and had an oily look to it, but the mage noticed what she touched was very dry. They came across several clones like Selene. Many had blank stares, but some were more lucid taking in everything around them. One stopped the pair on their descent into the heart of the base after seeing the lightsaber on Selene's belt. With a quick Force push Selene sent the other clone over a railing and into the seeming abyss of metal and grid work. No one seemed to notice the falling clone as she screamed past one level after another until they were silenced by her impact at the bottom. Finally the two women reached a section of the base that actually resembled a room. Demira gaped as it was filled with flashing lights and banks of computer terminals. Selene walked before her and directly to a section of terminals on the far left side of the room.

"This is the main computer hub of the facility," the clone said to the mage. "From here I can set the auto destruct on a timer allowing you time to meet with the jedi and get the shuttle. Use those lifts over there. They should take you straight to the hanger," she said pointing to the far side of the room.

"Ok," the mage replied still amazed at what she was seeing. "Then we can fly to the ship…wait…you said time for me to reach the shuttle. Don't you mean us?"

"I mean you," the clone stated as she punched codes into the computer. "I am not coming with you. This was always a one-way trip for me."

"Look, I know you said you were dying, but you can still come with us…"

The clone turned to face Demira. For the first time she noticed blood seeping from the corners of the clone's eyes. "I don't have that much time," Selene replied. "In fact once I hit this final command you will have to kill me."

"Kill you? I don't understand?" Demira stated backing away from the clone.

"I am turning, Demira," Selene said. "I can feel the change happening inside. It's been happening slowly for the past few days." She fingered the control. The panel began beeping and strange icons began scrolling on the viewport above it. "The countdown has begun. You have twenty minutes to get to the shuttle. Now do what must be done!"

"I…can't," the mage replied. "I can't just kill you."

"You…must…before it's…too…late…" Demira saw the woman's fingers transform into claws. Her teeth grew to fangs, and her skin paled before Demira's eyes. "Do it! Before I…" Selene began to spasm. Demira stepped back from the creature transforming before her. Its eyes glowed orange and a green haze poured from the pores of its skin. The once skinny woman bulged into something hideous and grotesque. It stopped moving, and then she heard a cracking sound. She closed her eyes for only a second, and when she opened them before her stood a creature like the demon the night elf controlled at the base…a rakghoul. The pale white skin glistened in the flashing lights of the room. Black claws adorned it hands and feet, and over its overlarge nose was a single black eye. Without thinking she reached out and pushed through the Force. The creature was hurled to the nearest bank of computers and over. Demira turned and ran towards the lifts. She heard the creature crashing machinery behind her, but she dared not look back. She reached the lift and activated the door. She could hear the creature coming closer. The door opened and she ran inside the car hitting the control panel as she passed. She turned to see the rakghoul coming closer and reaching out just as the door closed. The lift started moving up, and Demira let out the breath she was holding.

* * *

Daneel stepped through the door leading into the false volcano. Surprising to him was instead of an actual rock climbing he found a very traversable trail leading from the base to the hanger access. Once inside he walked a corridor filled with closed doors. As he neared one he stopped having felt a tremor in the Force. He approached the door and slowly opened it. The room beyond looked like living quarters but with more extravagant and luxurious trappings than those at the base in Eversong Woods. He stretched out through the Force searching for the tremor he felt, and located it in an adjacent room. He walked cautiously to that door and opened it. Inside he found an alter much like that from his vision. Atop it was the amulet and he felt the ripples of dark side energies coming from the artifact. He walked close and upon further examination noticed there were eleven gems set in the center, but there were settings for twelve. He thought back to the vision of the twelve sith pouring their essences into this amulet. One crystal for each sith, but where was the missing crystal and whose essence did it possess? However, this was a question to answer later for there was a plan in place and a timeframe. He took his lightsaber from his belt and ignited the blade. He raised it over his head and brought it down upon the amulet. There was a blinding light in the Force as the essences were released with the destruction of the amulet. Eleven voices cried out in terror and pain. Some tried to strike at him as they passed into oneness with the Force, but he was unfazed. He listened to them scream into oblivion as he tried to ascertain genders and comparing the count with those in his vision. There was one woman missing by his count…the missing crystal. All of this happened within seconds of his blade contacting with the amulet.

The jedi left the room satisfied the amulet was destroyed. Tareesha could not use it to make more rakghouls on this world. He headed back into the corridor and towards the hanger. As he entered the bay a lift opened on the other side. Demira came running out and upon seeing the jedi ran to him and embraced him. Her body was shaking and he held her close.

"Where is Selene?" he asked quietly. She looked up with tear filled eyes. "Demira?"

"She…she…changed," the mage stuttered and then collapsed into his arms again sobbing. "I want to leave this place."

Daneel picked her up and carried her up the ramp to the lone shuttle in the bay. At the top he hit the contact to raise the ramp and close the outer door. Inside he found a passenger seat and set Demira down. She was still sobbing, and Daneel could only guess what had happened. The green part of the clone had been affected by the amulet still in the base. Demira had seen the transformation of the woman into the creature…something he had seen before and was sometimes still haunted by. He kissed her on the forehead and moved forward to the pilot's chair. As he sat down and looked out of the viewport he saw cult members coming out of other lifts. Orcs, blood elves, gnomes, dwarves, humans…they were all scrambling out of the lifts to escape. He punched the controls to power the engines, and within a few seconds the shuttle lifted from the hanger. Once clear of the summit he shifted the trajectory of the shuttle and banked towards home and the sith base in Eversong Woods. Behind them was a blinding light as the Rakata Infinite Machine exploded. This part of the plan had been a partial success. The loss of the clone to the rakghoul plague was devastating...they could have used the help of Selene up on the ship.


	9. Refusing One's Fate

**_Part Nine: Refusing One's Fate_**

Kitali and Zharn had arrived at the base about an hour ago. Zharn had stared in wonder at the hanger bay when they landed this being his first time seeing the inside of the base he had heard much about. The room was cavernous with a huge door in the ceiling where the shuttle normally left the bay. The walls were mostly carved from the stone but so smooth that even dwarves could not have built this place. The flooring was metal, but it was not cold under his feet. And the room was well lit from some form of lighting imbedded into the walls. The pandaren dragged the orc across the room as he stared at his surroundings in awe. She stopped them at the entrance to the tunnel leading to the lift…she heard voices. Kitali moved the awestruck orc to the side and peered down the hallway. Ahead were three cultists arguing amongst themselves. She could not make out what they were saying, but having just left a base full of cultist set her nerves on edge to find them at this base. She reached up and lowered Zharn's gaze to meet hers. He took a few seconds before focusing his eyes on the woman before him.

"There are cultists down the hall," she whispered. "Looks like we might have to fight our way out of this place."

"How many?" the orc asked coming out of his revelry.

"I only saw three, but there are other levels to this base."

The orc peered around the corner. At that same moment the doors to the lift opened at the far end and thirty more cultists emerged. He leaned back and looked at Kitali shaking his head. "There are more now."

"How many more?" she whispered back. He indicated the number with his hands causing her to gasp. "We can't take that many on by ourselves…not in this place."

"We don't have much choice unless you know how to fly one of those things out of here," Zharn replied pointing back at the speeders along the far wall of the hanger bay. "The spirits will answer us…I know it." He took her hand in his. "Remember the Litany of Fear…'I shall not fear. Fear is the mind killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me and when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.'"

"Where did you and Demira find that saying anyway?" Kitali asked feeling a little calmer. She would never admit it but she used the Litany on a daily basis since joining the Horde. There was always some war or conflict happening.

"It was back when we were fighting in Tanaris," Zharn answered as he peered again at the cultists down the hallway. They were still arguing with each other with a lot of gestures and finger pointing, but like Kitali he could not tell what the argument was about. "We found this tablet in the ruins with the Litany scrawled on it in some obscure language. After the fighting was over we took it to a friend who is very good with translating from old and forgotten languages. It took a while, but when the old man was finished he had this saying that we both found quite useful."

"Did it say who wrote it?"

"Only something that it came from Dune, but there is no record of a person, place, or thing called that on Azeroth…so who knows for certain? It's just a good saying to live by especially in times like these." He turned and looked tenderly into her eyes. "Come on…let's get out of this place…together. No fear holding us back…no one standing between us…just you and me against all of them." He smiled a tusky grin. "They will regret ever coming across two shaman's hell bent on living without fear."

The two reached into their pouches and pulled out totems. With a smile to each other they rounded the corner and within seconds the entire hallway was ablaze. That was an hour ago, and now as the couple emerged from the base into Eversong Woods they were smiling even more as they had defeated every cultist inside as they investigated every level until they found the tunnel leading them outside. One hundred and twenty cultists they had fought in all throughout the base and as they emerged into daylight their clothes were smoldering from all the fire and lightning that was unleashed during their escape. Smoke wafted from the doorway behind them into the clean air of the forest. Zharn pounded his chest with his fist and coughed up more smoke. Kitali looked over at Zharn and in one motion grabbed his face in her hands and kissed him deeply. When their lips parted she smiled at the orc.

"You are without a doubt the sexiest orc on the planet," she beamed. "And we survived!" She leaned up place her mouth by his ear. "I believe I made you a promise," she whispered.

Zharn looked down at her and his smile widened. "I'm all up for that." She reached down and looked at him still smiling. "See?" He swept her up into his arms and carried her away from the base and into the nearby woods.

* * *

The sith shuttle touched down on the hanger floor. From the window Daneel could see smoke rolling from the corridor leading to the lift. The entire shuttle bay was obscured in a haze. Behind him Demira sat quietly with her arms wrapped around her stomach still in shock from Selene's transformation back at the Rakata facility. He touched her shoulder as he walked next to her. She looked up and with a motion of his fingers asked her to stay aboard the shuttle. She nodded in reply. The jedi lowered the ramp and walked down to smell the smoke from the fires in the hallway. Concerned about Kitali and Zharn's condition he grabbed the lightsaber from his belt and held it ready. Walking slowly towards the tunnel entrance he peered down the distance to the lift at the far end. Littered along the floor were the charred remains of perhaps twenty or thirty people. The smoke was thicker here and made breathing difficult. He examined each body as he made his way to the lift, but sighed in relief not finding either of his friends. He returned to the shuttle to find Demira walking down the ramp. Her hair was not braided as she normally wore it and flowed in the air behind her head giving her an almost ethereal appearance.

"Are they down there?" she asked quietly.

"No," Daneel replied. "But I think they did find themselves in a fight to the lift. We'll find out more as we head out of the base. Hopefully they escaped and made it to safety." He reached out and grabbed her hand. "Are you ready? If you want you can stay here on the shuttle and I can come back after I find out what has happened."

The mage looked at the jedi and said, "I can't stay here forever. If they made it then they made it…and if they didn't…better to find out sooner rather than later."

Daneel nodded and helped her down the ramp. Hand in hand they walked down the corridor to the lift. He noticed her palms were clammy and she slightly trembled. They reached the end of the hallway and Daneel activated the lift controls. Smoke rolled out as the door opened, and the inside of the car smelled less of fire and more ionized from lightning strikes. The scorching on the walls of the lift also indicated the presence of the electrical attacks both shamans were known to utilize. They stepped inside and he pressed the controls to take them to the ground level. Once the doors opened they were greeted with yet more carnage. On this level the corridor floor was littered with fifteen more bodies, but unlike the ones from the hanger level these had been killed with lightning strikes. There were scorches on the walls and the smell of ionization was thick in the air. They did not see either Kitali or Zharn amongst the bodies here or in the rooms and hallway leading to the ground entrance of the base. Once outside they stopped and took in the area around them. There were no signs of any further struggle here as there had been inside the base. A moan from a short distance away in the woods startled them, and worried their friends might be hurt they ran towards the noise. They stopped abruptly when they heard Zharn exclaim, "Oh yes!" Demira and Daneel looked at each other, smiled, and returned to the base.

Once back at the entrance Daneel cupped Demira's cheek in his hand. "There is something I must tell you, Demira," he said quietly.

"They would be turned on by all of this," she started and then looked at the Jedi. "Sorry…what was it you were saying?"

The jedi looked at the mage…the woman he loved…and simply whispered, "Sleep." He caught her as she slumped into his arms. He carried her to a nearby tree and caressed her cheek. "You cannot come with me, my love. Where I am going there is no return. I only hope that someday you can forgive me." He stood up and pulled the holocommunicator from his pouch. Thumbing the controls on the side he spoke to the unit.

* * *

Kitali and Zharn returned to the base figuring they would wait for their friends however long that might be. Kitali was still adjusting her top when they neared the entrance. They were shocked to find Demira sleeping next to a tree. She looked peaceful, and near her right hand was a holocommunicator. The couple gave each other a puzzled look, and Zharn knelt next to the mage and gently shook her shoulder. She woke with a start.

"Daneel," she started and looked at the orc and pandaren standing before her. "Where's Daneel? He was just here a moment ago." They looked at each other then back to Demira and shrugged their shoulders. Her hand made contact with the holocommunicator the jedi had left beside her. She picked it up and thumbed the control. Daneel's image appeared above the unit.

_"Demira, my love, I have left for the ship in orbit,"_ the image stated. In her mind he was standing before her talking and she noticed nothing else. _"The Force has given me a vision of events to come. I know what awaits me up on that ship, and to keep you safe I had to leave you behind. I am sorry, but after what happened in Stormwind I cannot face the possibility of your death again."_ He paused and lowered his head. _"In all likelihood I will not return from this mission, but I go willingly knowing the Force is guiding me and keeping you safe from harm." _He looked back up as if into her eyes. _"I have cherished every second of every moment of every day we have been together. Meeting you was the best thing to ever happen to me. You awakened feelings inside me I thought I had forsaken once I became a jedi, and when I fell you were there to save me and pick me up from the ashes."_ He looked to his side and then back towards her. _"I only wish I had the time to say more. Remember the last line of the Jedi Code…there is no death…"_

"There is the Force," she said through tears with the jedi's image.

_"I love you, Demira,"_ he continued. _"I wish I had more time to spend with you…to share my life with you forever happy and content. But this is my fate and my burden. Knowing I go to save you and your world will make my sacrifice have meaning. And in death and when I am one with the Force know that I will always love you, Demira." _

The image dissipated. She held the device before her face…tears running freely down her cheeks. "I love you too, Daneel," she whispered. She lowered the device to the ground and buried her face in her hands sobbing. Kitali knelt beside her and hugged her. The mage held onto the shaman's arms with a vice-like grip.

Zharn looked up at the mountain…a single tear ran down his cheek. "A noble sacrifice," he said reverently. "He may not be an orc, but orc blood runs through his veins."

"There must be something we can do," Kitali pleaded looking up at Zharn. He looked back at her noticing she was holding Demira tightly who was wracked with tears. Her head was buried in the pandaren's shoulder. "He said this vision of his was from the future, but hasn't he said the future was always changing? Can't we do something and change it?" She looked back at Demira. "For her and him? Can't we do something?"

The mage looked out from Kitali's shoulder…but at neither of her two friends…with puffy eyes and tear stained cheeks. "How? He took the only shuttle. We can't get to the ship," Demira said between sobs. Hopelessness and despair was written on her face.

"I know a way," Zharn replied. "It's crazy and may get us all killed, but I am willing to risk it." The two women looked up at him. "We'll need to go to Northrend and see an old friend of mine." He smiled and looked back up at the mountain. "I'm certain she'll help us."

* * *

Windi Weathergear concentrated as she used the welding torch to finish the last pieces of her second ship…one that was almost finished before she took the first into space. It looked much like the first one except with four small outriggers coming from each corner near the base. On each outrigger was an unusual contraption that from the untrained eye looked like a giant spring. The first rocket was left a mangled heap near Eversong Woods because of one design flaw she knew she could correct. This ship would not have the tumultuous landing like the first and the outriggers would become a new type of landing gear. After Zharn had used Astral Recall to return her to Northrend she had begun her redesign of the second ship almost immediately. Sparks flew around her as the torch welded the last piece of the new landing gear. The only sound around her was the screeching of the metal as it was melted into a bond for holding the bottom of the spring to the outrigger strut and the pump that generated the electricity to heat the metal to melting. She called this contraption an arc welder because the heat from an electrical arc would melt the metal in place welding two pieces of metal together in a much more secure method than others commonly used in Azeroth. She felt a tap on her shoulder, and with annoyance she turned off the torch. Lifting her goggles from her soot stained face she turned to see Zharn standing behind her.

"Hey!" she said with glee. "How's my old space buddy this afternoon?" She looked past him to see a pandaren and a blood elf behind him. "Did the war end? How did they get into the compound?"

"Windi," Zharn began, "I have a favor to ask of you."

The gnome looked back at the orc and smiled. "Sure," she said. "Anything for a fellow spacer like you. What'll it be?"

"We need to use your ship here," he replied with a sheepish grin. The gnome's smile waned. "Look…it's very important the three of us get back up to that ship you and I saw last time."

"You want to run down those cheaters?" she asked. Her gaze shifted as Demira walked up beside the orc. "Or just want to show your girlfriends the sights?" She put her hand along her mouth and whispered to the orc, "She's very pretty."

Demira knelt down so she was face to face with Windi. Her expression of pain made the gnome back up a step. "I have a friend up there on that ship that is in some very deep trouble," she said quietly. "He is in very serious danger and we need to go up there and save him. But you have the only way for us to get there." She brought her hands to her chest. "Please…help me save my friend."

"I don't know…" Windi started.

"Windi, I wouldn't ask you this if it wasn't very important…and you are our only hope of getting to that ship," Zharn said plainly. "What our friend is doing up there may just save all of Azeroth, but he is trying to do that all by himself."

"Just how is this friend saving Azeroth?" the gnome asked the orc but looked at the mage. "And why would a ship way up there be any danger to us down here?"

"Remember the Scourge?" Demira asked. Windi nodded affirmative. "What is up there on that ship is like that but much, much worse. There are people on that ship who want to bring all of that down here to Azeroth. They want to begin a new Scourge. And my friend…he has gone there to stop them."

"And he is doing it alone," Zharn added. "We want to help him and perhaps save him as well. But to do that we have to get up there which means we need to use your ship."

The gnome looked back at Zharn and then Demira. She turned and walked a few steps. The orc and mage looked at each other, and Zharn shrugged his shoulders. Windi turned back and faced them. "If I do this," she started, "I'm coming with you." Zharn began to protest but the gnome cut him off. "No arguing. If you are going to use my ship I am piloting it." She placed the welder back in its harness nearby and walked to the ramp of the ship. "I know this ship better than anyone. I built it and modified it all by myself. I am not going to let anyone else fly it but me." She started walking up the ramp and stopped at the top. She looked back at the others gaping at her. "Are you coming or was that all just a bunch of hot air?" Demira, Zharn, and Kitali quickly walked up the ramp into the ship. Within fifteen minutes they launched.

* * *

Demira stared out the magically enchanted window as they left the planet's atmosphere. "I'm coming, Daneel," she whispered. "I'll be with you soon."

None of the others heard her as they were experiencing the bumpy ride of the small craft leaving the atmosphere. Zharn was more relaxed since this was his second trip into space. Kitali, on the other hand, was as pale as a pandaren could get. She even shed a little fur as her nerves were completely shaken by the ride into space. For starters they were all using air bags just to breathe. Then on top of that there were only two permanent chairs and two that were quickly "bolted" to the floor with some sort of tacky putty that Kitali was sure would never hold the chairs…chairs she and Demira sat in…to the floor of the cabin. And then there was the rune-etched glass that gave a clear view of what was above them…black sky with stars. Once they were free of the atmosphere and the weightlessness took over made things worse for Kitali. She held onto the arms of her chair in a death grip trying to hold herself in place. Zharn and Windi's exuberant expressions and gestures didn't help the pandaren adapt either. She wanted to scream, but none would hear her. She felt like she was falling but she wasn't, she wanted to vomit but she couldn't, and she wanted to get back to the safety of the ground, but it was too far away. Beside her she saw Demira mouthing words, but she couldn't tell what the mage was saying. This voyage was not only unsafe but in her mind entirely unnatural. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the gnome point at something outside and then Zharn pointed as well. She slowly looked out the window and saw the ship they were turning towards. It looked small at first, but as they moved towards it…could they actually move in space…it grew in size. Kitali thought it looked like a giant doorstop. There was a large hole on the bottom and the gnome steered them towards it. It was covered in some shiny blue film that you could see through, but not completely. Soon the other ship was all she could see out of the window above her head…or was it …she couldn't tell for certain now. The gnome looked at the mage and Demira nodded 'yes' and pointed towards the opening. The pandaren wanted to scream for them to stop. They were going to crash into that blue lining. They were going to die before even getting a chance to help the jedi. They got closer and closer, and Kitali's heart beat faster and faster. The gnome and orc seemed apprehensive, but the look of determination on the sin'dorei's face goaded them forwards. Kitali was not convinced until the rocket passed through the blue membrane and into the ship. Suddenly gravity returned and all of them fell back into their chairs. But the worst was when their ship made contact with the hanger floor and bounced along until it struck the far wall. All four were thrown from their chairs. Kitali's separated from the floor confirming her earlier fears.

"Are you trying to get us all killed?" the pandaren shouted as she took her air bag from her face. They all looked at her as they could hear now as well and feel the weight of gravity.

"We're alive…aren't we?" the gnome replied. She looked out the window and removed her helmet. "This is amazing! We are actually inside the other ship!"

"And I didn't chip a tooth this time," Zharn added with a grin. They were all now sitting or leaning up on the wall of the cabin which was down along the flooring of the ship's hanger bay. He looked at Kitali and his grin waned. "I mean…yeah…we should have taken more precautions this time." He looked at Demira who was already standing. "So what do we do now that we are here?" he asked her.

Demira looked at him and then back at the window straight ahead of her. "We get out of this ship for starters and then we find my Daneel." She pulled a cylinder from her belt and thumbed the contact. The green blade came to life with a snap/hiss. She stepped towards the window ignoring the gaping stare of the gnome. She thrust the blade into the enchanted glass bursting it into tiny shards out onto the hanger deck. She extinguished the blade, placed the hilt back onto her belt, and stepped from the ship.

Windi looked at Zharn and grinned. "That was so cool. I got to get me one of those."

* * *

While Demira was first waking from her slumber back in Eversong Woods, Daneel stepped from the shuttle aboard the _Vindictive_. The ship was full of life unlike the last time he came aboard. He pulled his lightsaber from his belt and walked across the hanger to the far doors leading to the corridor and the lifts to the levels where the labs were located. He stopped when he heard movement on the other side of the bay. Stepping behind some crates, he listened. There were footfalls coming towards the shuttle. He peered from hiding and saw a woman in black robes and red skin…a clone. She wore a blank expression and stopped near the front of the shuttle. The clone gave the shuttle a cursory inspection, and then it turned and walked out of the hanger. Daneel reached out through the Force and touched the mind of the clone. He sensed some memories and rudimentary knowledge, but there was actually very little sentience from it. The clone felt more like a droid than a living being. He sighed and shook his head…one of the clones Selene had told them about and apparently on the lower scale of intelligence…like an automaton.

He left his hiding spot and continued towards the corridor and the lifts that would take him to the other decks. The air was still stale, but there was a smell now that he could not quite place…familiar yet not. He reached the door to the lift and stopped. He gripped his chest and fell to his knees. She was hurting…he could feel her pain even here. Demira was awake and seeing his message. He gasped and grabbed at the wall. It was unbearable the amount of pain and anguish she was experiencing. It pierced his heart as if a foe was using a blade to kill him. He fell to his side and curled into a fetal position. It was wrong to leave her behind without first telling her what he was doing. Their bond was so great, so profound, and so deep that he felt every intake of breath she was taking…felt every tear on his cheek even though he did not have the physical ability to actually cry. "What have I done?" he thought to himself. This was not what he wanted. He had hoped to save her from agony, but he was feeling it from her at this very moment. He reached out through the Force trying to calm her, but he couldn't. He reached inside and began to calm himself. He brought his breathing and heartbeat under his control. He struggled to maintain a sense of balance as her pain and suffering wracked him with every second that passed. Finally finding his center he stood and braced himself against the bulkhead. His original plan would not work. His goal was to reach the bridge and set the course for the sun and then destroy the labs while the ship hurled through space to its doom. But as he felt Demira's pain he began to rethink his strategy. He was guided by a vision, but by leaving her behind wasn't he already changing that vision? If that much was already changed then couldn't he also change his fate? He took a deep breath. He could still do this and yet also escape. He squared his shoulders. Set the course, destroy the labs, and then get back to the shuttle. He could do this and still live. He had to try…for her he must.

Daneel activated the lift to take him to the level with the labs. The life he sensed on the vessel was strained and corrupted. The ride in the lift stretched out in time as he reached out further with the Force. He had two more decks before reaching the labs. There were creatures scattered all through that deck. The lift stopped at the correct level and the doors opened. Daneel recoiled to the back of the car as ahead of him were rakghouls milling all along the corridor. Cautiously he closed the door before any could sense him. He took a deep breath and reached out again through the Force. The creatures were everywhere on the ship…thousands of rakghouls…an infestation. No wonder the cultists had not heard from anyone on the ship for days…they were either dead or trapped. He extended his perception in the Force to the deck before him. There were perhaps twenty or thirty of the creatures between him and the lab. How many beyond that he was not certain, but with determination he opened the door once more. With a flash he leapt from the lift car into the throng of rakghouls…his lightsaber igniting in mid-jump as he slew the nearest group of the abominations. He was suddenly glad he left Demira behind despite the pain she was feeling…the nightmare he had come to was much worse. His lightsaber flashed green swirls as he cut down one rakghoul after another. Their guttural snarls and screeches filled the air as they sensed and attacked him. Their claws rendered his robes but not his skin. After a few moments he stopped with his blade pointing to the ground. Breathing deeply he surveyed the deck…rakghoul bodies littered the corridor.

He turned and walked to the door of the lab. Inside several of the carbonite units had fallen to the deck. Some had been deactivated and the person frozen had thawed only to be half eaten by the rakghouls. Most of the computer terminals near the center of the room were offline with some others sparking. The beakers and vials from the DNA centrifuges were smashed and their contents spilled across the counters and floor. Daneel smelled the decay of rotting flesh and putrid acids from the destruction left in the creatures' wake. He walked through the carnage towards the back of the lab and the adjacent room where the cloning facility was located while stretching out through the Force trying to sense more of the rakghouls in the area. He had not visited the actual cloning room the last time he was on the ship, and as he approached the door he stopped. Beyond he sensed hundreds of the creatures. Remembering a technique his sister, Zufa, had taught him he cloaked himself in the Force becoming invisible to the naked eye. With a quick movement he opened the door and stepped through the entryway. He emerged into the room and onto a catwalk. Looking over the railing he saw the actual cloning machinery below him. The rakghouls were emerging from the machine two at a time and only moments apart. Once released from the machinery the new creatures would shuffle to join others. Eventually one or two would be forced into a duct or gap somewhere in the room allowing them to move about the other parts of the ship. But until their release they were stuck in this room…and the machinery did not stop. The jedi could not see the deck from all the rakghouls climbing over each other.

After about forty minutes he backed away from the railing and into the lab complex. He shut the door and destroyed its controls. There was no way to destroy the facility by himself…there were just too many rakghouls. Daneel's only recourse was to destroy the ship thereby also destroying the facility. To ensure that none of the creatures escaped to the surface he knew that Selene's original plan was the only plan…to fly the ship into the sun. He never felt the impact of Windi Weathergear's ship as it crashed into the hanger below him. He did not know that the one person he was willing to die to protect was now at that moment emerging onto the same ship he was intent to destroy. He did not know that the vision was now closer to becoming a reality.


	10. Tareesha

**_Part Ten: Tareesha_**

Demira walked along the outside of the shuttle running her fingers along its hull. She silently recited the Litany of Fear to herself as she worried that she might never see him again and this shuttle was the last thing she knew he touched…she should be able to sense him. It was still warm from its escape from Azeroth's atmosphere, and smiling to herself she could still feel his residual presence from the shuttle. In the adjacent bay Kitali and Zharn were helping Windi from her own wrecked ship, but her thoughts were not even remotely on her friends. Daneel had piloted this shuttle from the surface. She approached the ramp and walked into the craft. She could smell him in the cabin's interior, felt his presence in the deckplates where his feet had touched as he walked, tasted his breath in the air as she walked further into the cabin where he sat and piloted the shuttle. She sat in the pilot's chair and closed her eyes. Her senses took her on a personal journey to that first time they met, their first kiss, their first time making love…and on to other aspects of their relationship. Her brow furrowed as she mostly remembered how annoyed she was that he slept with his toes over the end of the bed, his habit of changing his voice when making light of things in their home, repeating something she said just to annoy her…why was she thinking of these things at a time like this? At a time when she may never see him again? She shivered at that last thought…the pain of loss struck her heart and she recited the Litany once again. Then she realized that they were all parts of who he was...his whole being. There was so much she loved about him and yet these other things were still part the jedi she loved with all her heart. The good and the bad. Their friends might think they never argued or fought, but that was simply not true. They had their moments when she just could not stand to be around Daneel, but those moments numbered fewer than those she cherished. These annoying quirks of his…now that she might lose him…she found she actually loved those things about him despite how she might feel at the time. Now that she might never see him again those were the things about him and his personality that she would find endearing…things that made him unique…things that were simply…him. Not only was the jedi the man she loved, but he was also her best friend and that meant more than anything. She counted herself very lucky. Demira turned when she heard a commotion from outside the shuttle near the ramp. She stood and walked towards the aft of the shuttle when Zharn came up the ramp.

"We have a slight problem," the orc said when he reached the top. "There's one of those clone things outside asking for our identification."

"What kind of identification?" she asked. He turned and walked down the ramp and she followed him. "Is she alone?"

"Not sure, but she sounds rather creepy," he replied. "It's like she is alive and yet not…like I said…creepy, very creepy." They walked from the bottom of the ramp to front of the shuttle. Windi was standing behind Kitali as the pandaren was talking to the clone dressed in black robes. They stopped and turned to look as the mage and orc as they approached. "Here is our leader," Zharn said to the clone as he gave Demira a half shrug of his shoulders. "She can tell you what you need to know."

The clone looked at Demira and gave the mage a curt bow. "My apologies, mistress. I had not been informed there was an arrival from the surface planned for today," the clone monotoned. Demira looked down and realized she was still wearing the cultist disguise from the island base. "Do you have something for the Lady Tareesha, mistress?"

Kitali, Zharn, and Windi gave Demira quizzical stares. What was she going to say? She looked at the blank face of the clone. "I…um…yes...I do have a message for Lady Tareesha," the mage stammered. "But I must deliver this message to her in person." She hoped the clone would not question her further because she had no idea how to get past the guard if the situation called for violence, and she didn't know how many more guards and clones there were aboard.

"Lady Tareesha is up on the command deck," the clone replied. It pointed to a corridor. "The lifts to that section can be reached through that hallway. The command deck is on the twelfth level." Demira nodded and began to walk to the indicated corridor. "Do you have instructions for me, mistress?" the clone asked halting Demira in her tracks.

Demira turned and looked at Zharn and Kitali. Both shrugged their shoulders. She looked back at the clone. They needed to find Daneel, but this clone had to be dealt with one way or another. But as she looked back at the distracting clone her eyes caught Windi. Demira suddenly realized that in their haste they had forgotten about the gnome, and bringing her throughout the ship was not a good idea. The diminutive woman was not a fighter and things being as they were Demira did not want to endanger Windi more than she already had. Thinking quickly she looked at the clone. "As a matter of fact," the mage started, "I assume you can fly this shuttle?"

"That is correct, mistress," the clone answered.

"Good. I would like you to prep this shuttle for departure when I return," Demira said. "I will be taking these two with me, and I want you to look after this one," she said pointing at Windi, "and keep her safe from any harm."

"I will begin immediately, mistress," the clone replied.

It walked towards the ramp. As it did Demira looked at Windi who was now glaring at her with hands on her hips. Demira knelt before the gnome. "I cannot thank you enough for bringing us up here, but I want you to stay with that woman in this shuttle where it's safe. Wait for us."

"But there is so much to see here," Windi started to protest. "You can't just expect me to come up to this engineering marvel and not look around!"

"But it's dangerous, Windi," Demira answered. "You risked a lot to get us up here and I appreciate that…I really do, but we must do the rest and face the dangers that are on this ship." The gnome started to argue again but the mage put her hand up. "Please, Windi. I know there is much to see here, but there are monsters on this ship that we must battle. There will be blood and guts and…" Demira stopped when the gnome began to blanch. "With this woman on the shuttle I know you will be safe. We'll find my friend and when we return we can all fly back to Azeroth. I promise."

The gnome sighed and looked at the shuttle. "I guess sitting in this thing will be alright. I mean…it's an engineering marvel too, right?" Demira shook her head. "Ok, but you have to tell me everything when you get back."

"I will," Demira replied. She watched the gnome saunter to the ramp and climb into the shuttle. She then stood up and faced her two friends. "Time for us to find Daneel."

"You think he went up to this command deck that woman told us about?" Kitali asked as Demira stepped closer. She noticed that the orc and pandaren were holding hands. She smiled at the couple.

"That's where he'll be," Demira replied. "His plan is to fly this ship into our sun in order to destroy it, and to do that he will have to go to the command deck." She started walking to the corridor on the side of the hanger bay. "That is where we will find my Daneel." 'With all his greatness and wonderfully annoying quirks,' she thought.

* * *

Daneel walked the length of the corridor outside the bridge. From here he would set the ship on its course for the sun and then make his way to the hanger and fly off in the shuttle. So far on this deck he had not come across any rakghouls, but he kept his lightsaber in hand just in case. Ahead of him was a turn to his right, and then beyond that should be the bridge access. When he got to the corner he stopped. He could feel a dark presence ahead. There was a staging room just aft of the bridge that housed an airlock and escape pods for the bridge crew. He stretched out through the Force and focused on the presence. Waves of dark side energy surrounded this person or thing, but he could not sense precisely what it was…or who. Taking a deep breath he rounded the corner and walked cautiously to the doorway ahead. When he got to the room he stopped and looked inside. On the far side of the room stood a woman who appeared to be a night elf. She wore a top that looped around her neck and came down to her breasts revealing her ample cleavage. Her stomach, back, and arms were bare. She also wore a full length skirt that nearly touched the floor with a long slit along her left leg almost to her waist. She was smiling at him, and in her right hand was an ignited lightsaber.

"At last I get to meet a famed jedi," the woman said. Her voice was soft and seductive belying her size. Although the woman was slender in build with toned musculature she stood almost as tall as a wookie. "I hope my children didn't give you too much trouble on your way to see me." Her mouth smiled on her heart-shaped and elegantly featured face, but her eyes were more than angry.

"You must be Tareesha…the Cult of Sith'ari leader," Daneel replied keeping his distance. "As for your…'children'…they were not a bother."

"That is Order of Sith'ari," she growled. She widened her stance exposing her muscled left leg. "Why must you types always get that wrong?"

"If it walks like a cult and talks like a cult," Daneel said smiling as he widened his stance to match hers. "Come now…you really didn't think that a bunch of Azerothians could make a true Order of Sith'ari? An order based on a species long extinct." He was taunting her…trying to ascertain just what she wanted. "I mean…you are not a true sith let alone a sith'ari."

"Is this some jedi ploy? Trying to anger me?" she replied. "Tsk, tsk. I thought the jedi were all about the light? That's what the sith here always believed." She took a step to her left which Daneel matched keeping his distance from her. "They believed the jedi were unfeeling creatures bent on the annihilation of the sith race and culture. They feared the jedi. My elders told me stories of their flight from the jedi and Republic in their home galaxy…how the jedi hunted them to kill them and all other sith. But seeing you now…knowing what I know…I do not fear you. I know you better than you think, jedi."

"Suppose you enlighten me, then." Daneel replied.

"Let's see…where to begin," Tareesha said bringing her free hand to her chin trying to act coy. "For starters I know you arrived to this planet about three years ago. You live with a blood elf…how's the fucking, by the way? I imagine with a body like hers you must have no trouble keeping it up." She brought her hand down along her cleavage and looked seductively at him. "She's nothing compared to me, but I guess you settle for what you can." She took another step to her right. Daneel matched her move. "You offer peace plans to both the Horde and the Alliance, but neither wants to hear you. The Kirin Tor is afraid of you…this big powerful mage…just because they don't understand the Force…not like we do." She stopped and ran her hand along her leg exposing it more almost to her inner thigh. "Come now…I know you quite well. I can offer you so much more than that sin'dorei can."

"Trying to seduce me? Sorry…you just are not my kind of woman," Daneel said with a smile.

Tareesha's hand dropped to her side. "Then how about I just help you release that anger inside…make you forsake the light side? I can turn that wench you're so fond of into one of my pets…how would you like that? Watch the woman you love become a creature without thought or feeling? To turn her into my willing slave?"

Daneel's smile widened. "I know you can do no such thing."

"So certain are you?"

"I found the amulet…the one the original sith created. I destroyed it along with that Rakata island you found. You have no way of turning others into rakghouls because you never discovered how to make it a disease like Muur did. You have no power. You're cultists are dead…both when I destroyed the island and those you left at the base in Eversong Woods. All you have is the malfunctioning cloning machinery below…and I know that is why you are hiding up here…you are afraid of your 'children' because you cannot control them."

"You…you destroyed the amulet? And the island?" she growled. Her smile left as her brow furrowed. She ignited the red blade of her lightsaber. "I will enjoy killing you, jedi."

"Ah…I see you acquired a lightsaber after all," Daneel replied igniting his own blade. "Shame you had to steal yours. I wonder…just how much of the Force you actually know."

She leapt at him with her blade held in both hands over her head. He raised his to block her attack…crimson and green clashing in a shower of sparks. She whirled around trying to get behind him, but he matched her movement facing her…both holding their lightsabers before them. The hum of their blades filled the room. With a feint he attacked low causing her to stumble backwards while trying to block and parry with her own attack. Her back struck the wall and she gasped. Daneel backed slowly towards the center of the room.

"You can end this, Tareesha," he said to her as she steadied herself. "Give up your hatred. Let go of your anger. You are no match for me."

"Never," she growled as she raised her arm. Force lightning sprouted from her fingers towards the jedi.

* * *

The lift door opened on the twelfth level from the hanger. Kitali screamed as there were rakghouls crowding the corridor outside the lift. Demira quickly slammed the controls closing the door blocking the alerted creatures. This could not be the command deck.

"What the…"Zharn started. "Are those the creatures you all have been talking about?" Kitali nodded and leaned over placing her hands on her knees. "There had to be dozens of them in there!"

"This is not good. This is not good," Kitali chanted. "There is no way Daneel came up to this level." She looked up at Demira. "Are you sure this it the right level?"

"It's the twelfth level just like the clone said," Demira replied. She looked at the controls and touched a couple of keys. "Maybe she told us the wrong level? I mean…this is not even the top level for the lift. It's about half way." The lift began moving. "I'm taking us to the top."

"I hope you are right about this, because I don't want to have to face more of those things," Zharn replied placing his hands on Kitali's shoulders. "And I haven't even shouted an angry word at them. I'm not afraid of much in this world…but those things….scare me."

"They're vicious," Kitali stated. "They bite and scratch and just keep coming no matter what you do to them. Before…back at the base…I lit one on fire and it kept coming…like it didn't even realize it was on fire…it just kept coming."

The lift stopped and the door opened. The three looked out into the corridor. There were rakghouls before them, but they were all dead lying along the deck. The trio stepped from the lift and Demira approached one of the bodies.

"Careful," Zharn warned. "That thing may just look dead. It could be baiting you in."

Demira knelt beside the creature. It had a cauterized wound diagonally across its chest. She stood and looked at other bodies close by. They all had similar wounds. She looked back at the other two and smiled. "Daneel came this way."

"How can you be sure?" Kitali asked.

"Those marks…they're from his lightsaber. He came this way."

"Then let's follow the trail of bodies," Zharn said pushing his way to the front. "We'll find him that way either dead or alive."

"He's alive," Demira said quietly causing the other two to look at her. She looked up and smiled. "I can sense it…he's alive."

"You using that Force thing?" Kitali asked her.

"No…I just…I can feel him…in here," she replied holding her hand on her chest. "In my heart I know he's alive."

"So you think he's alive," Zharn replied rolling his eyes. He didn't want to crush her hopes because of the way she felt about the jedi, but gut feelings didn't mean they were true. "How can you be so sure? And that he's still on this level?"

She shook her head at him. "No…I can feel him. He's calm and at peace, but still troubled…and very much alive." She walked past the orc. "And he's not on this level either. He's above us."

They ran along the corridor following Demira. More rakghoul bodies littered the deck. They finally came to another lift. Stepping inside and looking at the controls Demira smiled at her companions.

"This must be where the clone was confused. This lift only goes twelve decks up."

Zharn and Kitali joined her in the lift. She activated the controls and the lift took them to the twelfth level. The doors opened to reveal a dark and vacant corridor. They left the lift and walked forward cautiously. Zharn and Kitali both kept a hand in their pouches ready to pull totems out if needed. Fifty yards ahead of them was a corner turning to their right. About half way to the corner they heard a familiar sound…lightsabers clashing. Demira ran to the corner and rounded it while Zharn and Kitali rushed to catch her. They found her stopped in front of a doorway. She was just standing and staring. The clashing was louder, and as they approached the mage they thought they heard lightning. They stopped next to Demira and looked where she was staring. Ahead the room was dark with a few lights sprouting columns from the ceiling. Two dark figures were fighting in the middle of the room…one with a green blade of light coming from it…the other a red one. The two blades reached out for each other and when they met there was a blinding flash of light. Sparks flew from the contact of the blades and crackling sounds filled the air. The two blades separated and retreated from each other. In one column of light Daneel appeared holding the green blade. Across from him a tall night elf woman emerged holding the red. Her skin was dark red in the shadow and as she backed into the full light of the column Zharn swore her skin looked dark blue. She had waist long silver hair and wore a white top that barely covered her breasts. From her waist down she wore a white floor length skirt that was slit along her left leg. She was beautiful he judged by night elf standards, but what stood out from other night elves were her eyes. Most night elves eyes glowed either silver or gold, but this woman's eyes did not glow at all. Zharn squinted trying to make certain he was seeing them correctly. Her eyes looked like those of a human…white with colored irises. This woman's irises were red for the most part, but right next to the pupil was a yellow ring. The orc shuddered as his first thought was she had the eyes of a demon.

Demira held her breath as Daneel and the night elf circled each other. The very toned and lean night elf stood much taller than the jedi. Demira knew that he was five foot ten inches tall, but this woman he countered stood at least a foot taller if not more. The lightsaber she wielded looked like a dagger in her hands instead of a sword like Daneel's appeared in his. She brought her hands to her mouth as she further noticed the condition of his robes. They had been torn and ripped and on his right shoulder burned like it was scorched from lighting. She saw no blood, but she knew also that lightsabers tended not to cause bleeding instead cauterizing any wound. The woman moved from one column of light to another…her skin appearing dark red then dark blue as she moved from darkness to light…something the mage had never seen before in any creature except dragons.

"Your friends have come to play with us, jedi," the woman taunted. She looked at Demira and smiled. "Including your little wench. I honestly don't know what you see in her. She's such a little thing with very little power."

"There is more to her than you can imagine," the jedi replied not taking his focus from the night elf. He had not felt their presence in the Force until just a moment ago. How did they get to the ship? But these thoughts were distractions…and he needed to focus on the night elf. "Demira is more woman than you could ever dream of being," he said to Tareesha. With the last syllable he jumped at the woman swinging his lightsaber in a wide arc. It was not meant to hurt the woman but to throw her off balance. She reacted by rolling to her left and blocking his blade. He squared off to face her…his back to his friends blocking them from any possible attack she might launch in their direction. "You three should leave here. This is my fight," he said to Demira, Zharn, and Kitali. When he noticed they had not moved he looked to his side. "Zharn…Kitali…get Demira out of here! Get her some place safe!"

"I won't leave you," Demira replied. "I can't leave you."

Tareesha stood up and faced her opponent. She grinned as the noticed he was blocking her from the newcomers. "How touching," she said hearing Dermira's claim. "The two lovers profess their devotion just before their end. I wonder what kind of torture I can put her through." She raised her hand and Force lightning sprung from her fingers towards the mage. Daneel stepped in front of Demira taking the entire attack square in the chest. Demira screamed behind him as his body shook from the power coursing through his body. His lightsaber dropped from his hand to the deck. Tareesha ended her attack, as the jedi slumped to his hands and knees. "So weak," the night elf scoffed. "My elders were foolish to fear your kind."

"Daneel!" Demira screamed. Zharn and Kitali held her back as she struggled to run to his side. "Daneel!"

"Now it's your turn little miss cute thing," Tareesha said with a sneer. She pointed her hand at the mage. "This time there is no jedi to protect you."

"Get…her…out…of…here," Daneel gasped. He had lifted his left arm and his head to look at the night elf. He started to stand on his left leg bracing his hand on his knee.

"Too late, jedi," Tareesha snarled as lightning sprung from her fingers towards Demira. Zharn gasped and Kitali closed her eyes, but neither saw Daneel jump up to intercept the lightning yet again. Demira was struck dumb wondering how the jedi had found the strength at the last minute, but her heart sank as he again convulsed from the power in the lightning. Tareesha stopped her attack and glared at the jedi. "How did you do that?"

Daneel slumped to his right knee and smiled. "Never underestimate the power of the light." His head hung low and his breathing had become erratic.

"I'll bet you can't do that a third time," the night elf said raising her hand towards the mage. "And if you do…this time you will not get up." But her attention was on the jedi and not the mage, and she screamed in pain as a ball of fire hit her arm. She looked at the mage still being restrained by the two shamans…Demira's right hand outstretched towards her. "How?"

"Not all magic comes from the arcane, bitch!" the mage replied. As she spoke another ball of fire formed before her hand. "Rot in hell!"

The fireball raced across the room towards the night elf engulfing the woman in flames, but that was not all of Demira's attack. Flames followed the initial ball further immolating Tareesha. The woman's screams pierced the room. Kitali and Zharn relaxed their hold on Demira when they realized what she was doing. Before them Daneel fell face down on the floor not moving. Demira did not relent and the night elf stopped screaming as her life ended, but still the flames burned her body as it slumped to the deck. After a moment the attack stopped and Demira's arm went limp.

"Daneel!" she screamed looking at him lying comatose before her. The two shamans released her as she ran and knelt beside him. "Daneel…wake up!" He was still breathing but not moving. "Daneel, why did you do that?"

Slowly he turned his head to face her. The left side of his face was scorched where Tareesha's lighting had struck him. "Isn't it obvious?" he replied weakly trying to smile. "I couldn't let her do this to you." He began to lift himself up with Demira's help. Once on his feet she supported him with his arm around her neck and hers around his waist.

"You could have been killed," Demira said. "That was foolish and reckless…just like coming up here on your own."

"For you I would do anything including sacrificing myself to keep you safe from harm," he replied. "And that is not just because it is the jedi way…I would do it for you because I care that much for you."

They turned to face Zharn and Kitali who were still standing in the doorway in shock. As they saw Demira Kitali gasped. "Honey…your eyes!" Kitali said.

"What about my eyes?" the mage asked.

"They aren't glowing green any more," Zharn replied. "I never knew you had green eyes. I mean…besides the glowing bit you blood elves have."

"What do you mean my eyes aren't glowing?" Demira asked. She guided Daneel to a shiny part of the wall where she could faintly see her reflection. Indeed her eyes were no longer glowing as they had before. "What happened?"

"You used the Force more than you ever have before," Daneel said. "Sometimes it can have a healing aspect. In your case the affliction common to your race with past usage of fel energies has been erased…healed. Your eyes are as they should have been." He smiled and looked at her. "Your use of the Living Force has had a positive affect on you."

"But I was angry when I attacked that woman. I hated her," Demira replied. "I thought that was the dark side."

"There are mysteries of the Force we jedi have yet to discover," Daneel replied. Zharn and Kitali stood and stared at the mage enraptured by the change in her. "We have been in existence for over twenty thousand years with many great masters trying to learn the mysteries of the Force, and yet for all that time and all the knowledge we have gathered we still only know a fraction of the Force. What happened to you I do not presume to understand except to say that although your feelings were dark your heart remains pure…and it was the light that answered your call." He stood taller having regained some of his strength. "But there is one thing I have to ask. Not to sound ungrateful…I am very grateful…but what are you all doing here? How did you get here?"

"That's a long story," Kitali replied. "But we can get to that later. Shouldn't we do something?" she said pointing to the burning corpse of Tareesha. "I mean…about that?"

"I say leave her as is," Zharn replied. "The woman had no honor and she paid the price." He leaned over to Demira and smiled. "I never knew you had that much in you." She shrugged and looked at the jedi. Zharn stood back up. "Now we should just destroy this thing and go home. We can celebrate later when we are safe on the ground."

"A good idea," Daneel agreed. "The bridge is just through those doors behind us. Once I set the ship's course for the sun we can get to the shuttle and head home." He gave Demira a squeeze. "All of us." She smiled and helped him turn around.

The four of them walked past the body of Tareesha still burning on the deck. Once they opened the doors to the bridge Daneel pointed to the helm station. Zharn and Kitali followed Demira as she helped the jedi to the console. With effort he sat in the chair and punched up the ship's systems governing propulsion and navigation. With a frown he rekeyed the sequence. He sighed and looked back up at Demira. "The controls to set the autopilot are severed," he said grimly. "I cannot set the ship's course from this console without staying here to make adjustments as it gets closer to the sun."

"What does that mean?" Kitali asked from his side. "Can we still destroy this ship?"

Tears began welling in Demira's now clear eyes. She nodded and hugged the jedi. He hugged her back. "I can, but I must remain here to do so," he said answering the shaman. He looked at Demira. "I'm sorry, my love. Although when I felt your pain I planned to return to the surface after setting the ship on its course, it appears I no longer have that option."

"NO!" she cried looking up at him. "There must be another way. Some other controls to set the course…there must be!"

"I wish there was, Demira," he replied holding her. "I wish there was."

Kitali turned and embraced Zharn. He held her in return not knowing what to say. They all knew what the jedi was saying…that he was remaining on the ship and would die as it was destroyed in the sun.

"Then I am staying with you," Demira said through her tears. "I won't leave you to die alone."

"You cannot stay with me, Demira. You must leave and live," Daneel replied quietly. He cupped her cheek with his hand. It was blackened from the lighting attack earlier and felt rough on her skin, but she did not care. "I meant it when I said I would do anything for you…to keep you safe."

"But I don't want to go," she pleaded. "I don't want to leave you."

"I don't want to leave you either, but there is no other person and no other way to ensure that this ship is destroyed and cannot endanger Azeroth." He held her with both arms. "Sleep," he whispered and caught her as she slumped in his arms. He looked up at a shocked Kitali and Zharn. "Down in the hanger bay there is a clone. She is not dangerous…I do not think…but she can pilot the shuttle to get you three home."

"We already saw her and lined that up," Zharn replied.

"What did you do to her?" Kitali asked looking at Demira.

"She will not go willingly, and I cannot let her stay with me," The jedi replied. "Please…take her to the shuttle and get off this ship."

Zharn nodded and let go of Kitali. He stepped forward and picked up Demira cradling her in his arms. He bowed his head to the jedi and turned to leave.

"What do we tell her when she wakes up?" Kitali asked. "She'll be furious and heartbroken."

"But she will still live," Daneel whispered. "Just tell her I love her with all of my being…and I have no regrets."

Kitali wiped her eyes and nodded. "I will miss you, Daneel. We'll all miss you." She stepped forward and hugged him. "I'll let Demira know what you did and why."

"Thank you," the jedi said hugging the pandaren back. "You take care of her for me. She'll need you most to help her through this." Kitali stood and nodded. "You are a true and dear friend, Kitali. I ask of you only one thing."

"Anything," the pandaren replied.

"Show her who you really are," he said with a smile. "And Zharn too. I know neither will care because they love you, not what you appear to be."

Kitali turned to see Zharn had already left the other room heading towards the lifts. She looked back at the jedi. "How do you know? I mentioned something about it to Demira, but that was in jest. But I never revealed what I really am."

"I could sense it through the Force," he replied. "In recent months you have become more than Alliance as they have become more than Horde. Those divisions amongst us mean nothing any more."

Kitali looked down and reached into her pouch. She withdrew a small stone and her visage melted from the pandaren into a tall and beautiful draenei with blue skin and long dark hair. She looked at the jedi and smiled. "I was a spy once until I met Demira and Zharn," she confessed. "I was still spying a little until I met you. From that day on I never reported back to the Alliance. I felt…more…after I met you…that there was something more important than those old battle lines. In the past few months I have learned just what that is…it's not Horde or Alliance…it's just…people." She looked up at the ceiling and wiped a tear from her eye. "I never would have imagined falling in love with an orc before I met you. But I learned to view him in a different light." She looked back at the jedi. "You two are a lot alike in many ways. He cares more for the people around him than he does the Horde. He joined us on this venture without a thought of what it might mean to his standing in the Horde because he felt this was more important. And if he were in your position I know he would make the same decision." She paused and laughed looking back at the ceiling. "As a matter of fact he already did that for me once."

"He's a good man with a kind and gentle heart," Daneel said. "And he's a very lucky man to have you as a friend…and a lover."

"I'm the lucky one," she said now crying again. She knelt over and hugged the jedi again. "I will never forget you, Daneel." She stood and followed Zharn and Demira afraid to look back at the man she considered a hero and a friend.

Alone on the bridge Daneel looked down at the console. He punched in the coordinates for the sun. He looked back where his friends had left and smiled. In his heart he accepted what was about to happen and felt at peace. He tapped the control to engage the engines…and the ship began its slow turn away from Azeroth and towards the sun.


	11. Trusting the Force

**_Part Eleven: Trusting the Force_**

Zharn stopped before the lift as he waited for Kitali to catch up. He looked down at the sleeping mage cradled in his arms. Even now her face grimaced in pain as if she knew what was happening despite being helpless to do anything as she slumbered. His heart ached for both of his friends…the pain she was feeling and would for some time…and for the one on the bridge making the ultimate sacrifice. Silently he vowed never to forget the jedi or what he was doing and he would strive to live up to his example. Of all the beings he had known and encountered Daneel was quite possibly the most honorable one he ever met and felt privileged to call him friend. With tears running down his cheeks Zharn turned to look back down the corridor. Rounding the far corner was a tall draenei woman running towards him.

"Kitali!" he shouted. "We've got company!"

The draenei stopped in her tracks and turned to look behind her. "Where?" she called to the orc.

"Kitali…get back here…now!" He turned slightly trying to shield Demira from a possible attack from the strange woman.

The draenei looked around frantically. "Where, Zharn? I don't see anyone else!" Then realizing that she had changed appearance and the orc had never seen her like this she looked straight at the man. "It's me, Zharn. I'm Kitali."

Zharn's eyes widened as he stared at the woman ahead of him. She walked slowly towards him with arms wide at her hips and palms facing him. "Not possible," he murmured as she got closer. "What have you done to Kitali?" He backed up against the wall and squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them he would see Kitali and not this nightmare ahead of him, but when he opened his eyes there she was…a tall, blue-skinned draenei woman. "What trickery is this?" he whispered.

Kitali stopped a few feet in front of Zharn. She looked at him with caring eyes. "I have a confession to make, Zharn," she said quietly.

"You think?"

"I was sent to spy on the Horde and in the disguise of a pandaren. I was loyal to the Alliance and came on this mission without hesitation," she said bringing her hands up before her and playing with her fingers. "But then I met you and Demira and things changed." He swallowed hard and shook his head no. "I broke the most basic rule of espionage…I found myself getting closer and closer to you both. Then I met Daneel and everything changed. I…I…fell in love with you…"

"You used us," Zharn growled. "You betrayed us. US! Ones who called you friend. How could you?"

"But I stopped spying years ago, Zharn. I am no longer that person you met but the one you fell in love with. Does it matter what I look like?"

Zharn looked down at the mage in his arms. He shook his head unable to believe what he was hearing. But still it was true…he knew it. This woman was Kitali…she had the same look in her eyes…the same mannerisms…and she had used them…used him. He fell in love with her and now felt like a fool. He looked at her and then at the wall behind her. "If you changed then why wait until now to tell me what you really are? Why wait until now?"

"I was afraid you would react like you are right now. I was afraid you would hate me," she replied quietly.

He leaned closer to her and looked her straight in the eyes. His hot breath smothered her face. "I loved you…made love to you…almost died for you…and yet during all that time you didn't reveal this to me? Why? Why should believe any word you say?" He stood back from her and looked away from her face. "I don't know who you even are."

"Zharn…please…I…" she started with tears rolling down her cheeks.

The orc stepped to the side and nodded towards the lift. "Just get in there and activate the controls. We have to leave this ship before Daneel flies it into the sun, and I can't do that and carry Demira at the same time. You…just stay in front of me and don't say a word. I want to hear nothing from you right now."

Kitali lowered her head and nodded. She opened the lift doors and stepped inside. Zharn followed and stood on the opposite side of the car from her. Demira squirmed in Zharn's arms but did not wake. The draenei dreaded what the mage would say when she found out about her secret. Her heart dropped when she realized Demira might react like Zharn. She raised her eyes to look at the orc. He glowered at her, and in shame she looked back at the floor. The ride down the twelve decks seemed to take an eternity.

"Tell me one thing," Zharn said breaking the dreadful silence. Kitali looked at him, but he was staring at the door of the lift…not her. "Was anything real to you? What we meant to you? What I meant to you? Was any of it real? Or was I just some diversion?" He looked at her. "Did you ever really love me?"

"I…" she started, but the lift stopped and the doors opened. She looked out into the corridor and gasped. Where before there were many rakghoul bodies there were now several living creatures roaming about the corpses. She slammed the door controls closing them. She looked in panic at the orc. She placed her right hand in her pouch at her waist and nodded. He nodded back and tried to retreat further from the edge of the door. Kitali took a deep breath and reopened the doors. Without thinking she leapt into the corridor and squeezing tightly to a fire totem unleashed a firestorm on the rakghouls. They screeched and growled in pain, but instead of cowering in fear then turned and advanced on her. Squeezing tighter on the totem and closing her eyes she begged the spirits of fire for more. They responded as the entire corridor was engulfed in flames. The rakghouls noises grew louder and then suddenly stopped. She cracked her eyes open to peak down the hallway, and littered along the floor were the burning remains of the vile creatures. She turned and looked back at the orc holding the mage in the lift.

"Move!" he shouted at Kitali. "Move before more of those things show up. The sooner we get off this ship the better!"

The draenei nodded and ran down the corridor to the second lift with the orc close behind. Once inside the other car she activated the controls taking them to the hanger. She let out a long breath and looked at Zharn still holding Demira. He didn't look at her instead examining the mage for any injuries.

"Zharn," Kitali said quietly. "I…"

He looked at her with a pinched face. "I need to get her off this ship and I cannot do that alone."

"But I need to tell you…"

"Save it for later…if we have a later. Right now concentrate on our escape."

"And then?" she asked.

"I'll worry about then when we actually reach a 'then'."

* * *

Daneel adjusted the controls for the ship's navigation and propulsion as the ship left Azeroth's orbit. Plotting the course proved tricky as the engines did not respond normally. It was like they knew what he planned and they were trying to stop him. But software could be tricked, and using a few slicing techniques he had learned from an old smuggling buddy back in his home galaxy he rewrote the navigation software to think he was programming in a set of coordinates other than the sun, but in fact the course led the ship more directly it. After the course was set he stood and warily walked to the bridge access room. He stopped at the doorway and looked at the still smoldering corpse of Tareesha. Alone he knew he would have easily defeated this woman. Her knowledge of the Force was more formidable than he at first thought, but as the fight progressed he realized that her rise to power and control of her followers came not from her connection to the Force but from seduction. Had his friends not arrived he would have defeated the woman within moments, but when Demira, Zharn, and Kitali arrived his focus changed from one of a fighter to that of a protector. He wondered just how much of the true past she really knew and understood instead of what she had been told by her parents and grandfather. Shaking his head he realized that those things no longer mattered. She was dead and so was her cult. Soon the ship would reach the sun's gravitational pull and then it too would be destroyed hopefully eradicating the last remnants of a sith incursion into Azeroth that should never have occurred in the first place. And his friends would soon be leaving aboard the shuttle and returning to Azeroth safe from any more danger Tareesha could unleash.

The jedi started to turn back towards the bridge and stopped. From the corner of his eye he spotted his lightsaber lying on the floor on the far side of the room. He raised his hand and through the Force pulled it to him. The hilt lifted from the deck and flew through the air into his waiting hand. He ignited the green blade. It hummed in the quiet of the bridge access room. He sighed deeply and extinguished the blade. He placed the hilt on his belt and walked back to the bridge.

* * *

The lift doors opened to the hanger bay, and Kitali emerged with Zharn carrying Demira behind her. The shuttle was humming near the center of the bay indicating the clone had started the engines and was ready for take-off. The couple ran towards the shuttle and stopped about halfway. From the other side of the bay several rakghouls scurried about near the door leading to the adjacent hanger. Demira stirred in Zharn's arms and slowly began opening her eyes. The orc looked at the mage and then the draenei. He lowered Demira's legs to the floor and placed her left arm around Kitali's shoulders.

"Get her on the shuttle and get out of here. I'll hold off those rakghouls while you make your escape." Kitali accepted the weight transfer of the mage and looked at the orc about to protest. "No arguing. Just get her on that shuttle and get out of here!" He reached into his pouch and looked towards the milling Rakghouls. He started walking towards the foul creatures.

"Zharn!" Kitali shouted causing him to stop. He did not look at her. "You were never a mere diversion. I do love you…that is and always will be real!" He nodded without looking at her. The orc squared his shoulders and bellowed out a war cry. The rakghouls looked up and screeched. He ran towards them pulling a totem out of his pouch. Kitali watched. "I love you, Zharn!"

The shaman reached out his hand calling upon the elements of lighting and wind to buffet the creatures running towards him. Lighting formed and shot outward from before his hand. The entire shuttle bay was buffeted by gale force winds coming seemingly from nowhere and everywhere. The snarls and screeches of the rakghouls were drowned out by the howling of the winds and the crackling of the lighting strikes. The electrical bolts struck true downing one creature after another. Kitali struggled to half drag and half walk Demira to the shuttle. They reached the end of the ramp, and Kitali looked over to where the orc faced off against the rakghouls. Most in the room were killed and their bodies strewn across the deck, but in the adjacent bay more of the mindless beasts struggled against the winds towards the shaman. Kitali drug Demira into the shuttle and set her in a passenger seat. Windi turned and looked at her and her eyes widened.

"Who are you?" the gnome asked.

"I'm Kitali," she replied. "I was in a disguise earlier."

"Why?"

"It's…a long story." She stood and looked at the gnome.

"The ship is ready for departure, mistress," the clone monotoned not looking back at the shaman. "We can leave for the surface whenever you are ready."

"Thank you," Kitali said to the clone giving a shocked look at the pilot, and then she looked back at Windi. "I need for you to watch Demira. If she wakes up make sure she doesn't leave."

"And where are you going?" the amateur astronaut asked.

"I'm going to help Zharn. Just don't leave without us." She turned and ran out of the shuttle.

The rakghouls had come at the orc in force and were almost on top of him. His shoulders heaved with exhaustion…he didn't have much left in him. Almost a hundred bodies littered the deck before him with more coming from the other shuttle bay. The draenei ran to the orc's side and pulled several totems from her pouch. She threw them to the deck and asked for the elements to unleash their fury upon the creatures running towards them. Zharn did not relent in his attacks despite the weariness he showed. Blasts of fire, bolts of lightning, tremors shook the deck, and more winds howled all originating from the totems Kitali had thrown to the deck. She reached the orc and grabbed his shoulders turning him around.

"Come on, we have to go!" she screamed trying to be heard over the winds.

"I told you to get on the shuttle and get off this ship!" he yelled back.

"Not without you!" she replied. "I am not leaving you behind!"

"Why do you care what happens to me? Save Demira and yourself!"

Kitali reached up with both hands and grabbed Zharn's face. "I said I am not leaving without you and I mean it! I don't want to live a life without you…not this way! Not because you are suicidal and seeking a glorious death!"

The orc's eyes searched the draenei's. His breathing was heavy with exhaustion. "Tell me why! Give me one good reason to live!"

"Because I love you and cannot live without you! If you are staying then I am too!" Kitali replied. She pulled his face to hers and kissed him. The winds blew her long hair about their heads. Their lips parted and she looked into his eyes. He looked back at her with a sad expression. "I am a draenei. You are an orc. Our peoples have a troubled and bloody past. I became a spy because I thought it was important for my people. But when I met you I forgot about being a draenei…I forgot that you were an orc. I realized that all we really are…we're just people living our lives. I quit spying because I felt something inside…I fell in love with you…an orc…and I didn't care that you were an orc because you are more than I ever imagined possible. You are a man of deep honor and compassion. You care more about the people around you and your friends no matter what race they are. Me…a draenei…fell in love with an orc. When I became a spy I would have said that was an impossibility, but I am standing her now telling you that I do love you. It's not an impossibility because I feel it deep inside. I would give anything to be with you."

"Then why wait until now to tell me?" he asked. The screeches of the rakghouls filled the background along with howling winds, crashing lightning, booming thunder, and crackling fire. But he heard none of those things…just her voice. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Because I was afraid," she replied.

"Afraid of what?"

"Afraid that even though I fell in love with you could you…an orc…love a draenei?"

"You say you know me…fell in love with me…then why couldn't you trust me?" he asked. "I fell in love with you for who you were. Not for what you were or how you looked…I fell in love with you."

"I'm still me, Zharn," she answered. "I am the same person you fell in love with. Yes…I have some skeletons in my closet and when we get home I will tell you everything," she said pulling him closer. "Everything. No more secrets or lies. I owe you everything."

He looked back at the rakghouls. Their bodies were piling up as the totems continued to mangle and destroy the creatures. But as effective as they were more rakghouls came from the other hanger bay and the totems could not handle the onslaught much longer. He looked back at Kitali and simply nodded. Taking his queue she let go of his face and grabbed his hand in hers. They ran back to the shuttle and up the ramp into the cockpit.

"Get us out of here!" Kitali shouted to the clone. It nodded and with a flurry of hand motions on the console in front of her the ramp closed and the shuttle shook as it lifted off the hanger deck. Kitali looked out the front window as Zharn sat next to the half awake Demira. He held her hand and stroked it gently with his thumb. The shuttle turned and moved towards the force field barrier at the far end of the bay. Within seconds the shuttle was in space and clear of the larger vessel. Kitali could see Azeroth in the view. It looked so small from this far away. Beside the clone Windi Weathergear stared in amazement out the viewport…apparently speechless for the first time.

"What is our destination?" the clone asked from the pilot's chair.

"Take us near the bridge of that ship," Demira said groggily. Kitali turned to see the mage slowly standing from her chair. Kitali opened her mouth as if to speak, then thought better of it. "I want to sense Daneel for as long as I can," the mage said as she moved forward in the cabin. She stopped next to Kitali and looked the draenei up and down. "Got a few things to tell us, Kit?"

"You know it's me?" she asked.

"I can sense you in the Force, Kit," Demira replied placing her hand on the shaman's shoulder. "You may look different, but your essence is the same. I don't care what you are…because I know who you are. I trust what I feel in the Force." She let her hand drop and looked back out the viewport. To the clone she said, "Take us near the bridge and keep us there for as long as possible."

"As you command, mistress," the clone replied.

* * *

Daneel stepped back from the barricaded doors. Not long after he retrieved his lightsaber he had heard the familiar sounds of rakghouls down the corridor. Remembering the cloning chamber he knew it was only a matter of time before more of the creatures escaped and began roaming the ship. Plus he had sensed thousands rakghouls when he first boarded. He shut the blast doors to the bridge and then using the Force barricaded it with anything not bolted down to the deck. The creatures were banging and scratching at the doors trying to reach him. It would hold for as long as he needed. The sun was only a few moments away and then they would all be destroyed. He took a few backward steps and turned to face the front of the bridge. The sun loomed larger ahead. He checked the navigation console and adjusted the course by fractions of a degree…just enough to ensure the ship could not escape the eventual pull of the sun's gravity well. Daneel walked to the very front of the bridge and near the transparisteel window. A silver blip to his left caught his attention, and he spotted the shuttle as it came closer into view. He reached out through the Force and sensed Demira, Kitali, Zharn, Windi, and the clone aboard. He smiled and touched the viewport with his hand. They were off the ship and would be safe. He felt calm and at peace…just like in his vision.

"Demira," he thought out through the Force. "I love you."

On the shuttle Demira was looking at the ship. Behind her Kitali stood with her hands on the mage's shoulders trying to offer support for her friend. Windi gazed at the ship as they passed asking the clone numerous questions. The clone monotoned the answers best as it could. Behind them all Zharn sat in his seat with his left elbow on his knee and chin in his hand. Demira gasped as Daneel's thoughts touched her mind. She reached forward and touched the viewport of the shuttle.

"I love you too, Daneel," she said out loud. Kitali squeezed her shoulders. Zharn looked up at them and then back down at the deck. Windi stopped in mid-question and looked at the mage. "I will always love you," the mage said with tears swelling in her eyes. "I will never forget you…ever."

Daneel watched the shuttle cross the viewport and then head aft of the ship. He lowered his hand and looked back at the sun. It was closer now and within moments the ship would be caught in an irreversible grip from its gravitational pull. He turned and walked back to the navigation console. The gauges confirmed what he already knew…the fate of the ship was sealed. He looked back up and breathed deeply. The temperature began to rise in the ship as the environmental controls began to fail nearer the sun. Daneel began sweating along his brow. Soon the danger of the ship and the rakghouls to Azeroth would be no more. Satisfied that he had accomplished when set out to do he walked back to the viewport. The shuttle was no longer in sight. He lowered his head and brought his right hand to the bridge of his nose. Taking a deep breath he stretched out through the Force. Trusting entirely on the Living Force and opened himself to it…embracing it. Using the folding technique one last time, he whispered, "Take me where I belong."

* * *

Demira stared out the viewport as they hovered in space watching the larger vessel cruise towards the sun. As it got closer it started to glow red and then orange. Parts of the hull began to break loose and careen faster towards the sun. The mage gasped and placed both hands on the transparisteel window. "Daneel!" she cried. Kitali turned the mage around and hugged her tightly. Demira buried her head in the draenei's shoulder. "He's gone," she cried softly. "I no longer sense him."

"He was the best of us," Zharn said behind them still sitting in his chair. "He was not from Azeroth and yet he made the ultimate sacrifice to save it. It's not right that nobody will know what happened or what he did." The orc stood and faced the others near the front of the cabin. "We must always remember what he did for us and never forget the example he set. In our hearts he will always be with us." With a tear in his eye he looked at Kitali. "He taught me many things…one was to look past the surface to what lies beneath…to see the true person." He walked over and touched the draenei's shoulder. "And he taught me how to forgive."

"And to love?" Kitali asked quietly to the orc.

"And how to love," he replied with a smile. "I don't care how you came into my life…what your motivations were. What I care about now is that you are here…true to yourself and us. I never cared what you looked like...that's not what I fell in love with. I fell in love with you. So when we get home…I'm going to hold you to that promise…to tell me everything."

"Can we continue as we were?" she asked him.

"Maybe not exactly as before, but with a new beginning and open hearts," he replied with a smile. "I am willing to look forward if you are." She sniffed and nodded while tears streamed down her face. He stepped closer and hugged both women. "And we will be here for you always, Demira."

The cabin was awash in tears and crying. Even Windi was shedding a few tears for a man she never met, but caught up in the emotional rollercoaster she hopped from her chair to join the others. They embraced her sharing what little comfort they could muster, but also to share the grief of a friend lost to them. The clone manipulated the controls and turned the shuttle towards Azeroth. In the viewport that only it was watching the sith ship was just a tiny speck now as it was consumed by the sun's furnace.

"Can I get in on the group hug?" a familiar voice said from the aft section of the shuttle. All but the clone looked back towards the voice and saw Daneel standing with his arms crossed over his chest and wearing a smile on his face. Demira separated from the rest and took a tentative step towards him. "Can I least get a hug from you?" he asked her.

"Are you real? Or are you one with the Force? A ghost?" she asked stepping closer. She reached out a hand and touched his robes. They felt real. Tears flowed freely down her face as a smile crossed her lips. "You're alive!" she shouted as she embraced him.

"How?" Zharn asked holding Kitali and Windi. "We saw the ship destroyed."

Daneel embraced Demira tightly. He looked at the others and his smile widened. "I used the same technique in the Force that brought me to Azeroth in the first place."

"That portal-like thing?" Kitali asked.

Daneel nodded and looked down at Demira. She looked up at him smiling…happy to have him alive, safe, and in her arms. "I put my complete trust in the Force and asked it only one thing. I asked the Force to take me where I belong…and it brought me to you."

The mage buried her head in his chest. "I told you before that the Force was playing match-maker."

"And I should never have doubted you," the jedi replied.


	12. Varok's Secret

_**Part Twelve: Varok's Secret**_

Six months after the destruction of the _Vindictive_, Daneel stood on a balcony overlooking Booty Bay. A salty breeze wafted from the bay and he inhaled deeply. His brown traditional jedi robes rustled about his legs. A thousand different conversations rode the air to his ears. Gulls flew the tides of the wind circling the bay and occasionally diving to the waters below to catch a fish that had risen to the surface. This was Azerothian life and it remained unspoiled by Tareesha's machinations. The Cult of Sith'ari was dissolved with the death of their leader. The threat of the rakghoul menace was averted when the sith ship was consumed by the sun. The jedi smiled knowing that only four others even knew how close Azeroth had come to another true and horrible nightmare. Orcs, taurens, humans, elves (night and blood), gnomes, dwarves, and of course goblins crowded the walkways and thoroughfares below him. Booty Bay was one of the few neutral places in the world where the war between the Alliance and the Horde raged and the citizens of this world lived their lives unaware anything important outside that war had occurred. This alone pleased Daneel since he firmly believed that the fewer who knew what had happened the better. These people had enough to worry about in their lives without the additional threat from a galaxy far from here. Daneel's smile widened.

He had come with Demira and rented a room at an inn while they awaited the arrival of their friends. Upon their return in the shuttle they had sealed the base and entered new codes on the access panel. Only the four of them…he, Demira, Kitali, and Zharn…knew the password to enter the base when they needed. Windi Weathergear had returned to Northrend anxious to begin a new project, but she was very coy about what that project was. The clone had expired within hours of their arrival. Daneel and Demira buried the clone's body a short distance from the base. For the mage it was a chance to say farewell to Selene since her transformation at the island base. Witnessing that was something that touched Demira deeply and although the clone was not the same woman for the mage it was as close as she would ever get to saying goodbye to an ally who was largely instrumental in their success. Zharn and Kitali left them after staying at their home for a month and without telling the couple where they were headed. They had not seen the couple since then but had recently received a message stating they wanted to meet in Booty Bay. Demira walked up beside Daneel on the balcony and leaned over the railing. Her clear eyes sparkled in the sunlight. She wore red robes in a similar cut to Daneel's.

She took a deep breath and then wrinkled her face. "Ugh," she said to the jedi. "This place stinks." She looked over at him and placed her hand on his. "You probably think the smell is wonderful."

"I do," he replied looking back at her. His index finger played with the ring on her finger. "The smell is full of life."

"It smells like dead fish, sweaty bodies…and I think I detect some sort of compost or sewage…or both," she replied.

"Exactly…like life," he said with a grin.

Demira rolled her eyes at him and looked back out over the bay. "I wonder why Kitali and Zharn wanted to meet us here of all places. Their letter was very…secretive." She looked back at the jedi. "We haven't seen them since the wedding, and they never told us where they were going." She sighed. "I know things between them were a little strained because of her secret past, but you don't suppose they…"

"What?" he asked her.

"I know the letter said to meet them here, but are they still…together? I mean… I hope they are."

"We'll find out soon I imagine," Daneel replied.

They stood silently looking out over the bay and the crowds below. A few minutes later they heard a few shouts and looked in the direction they came from. Below a crowd was widening giving a large berth to two people walking hand in hand. Demira squealed and hugged the jedi tightly. The couple below apparently heard her and looked up. The orc man and draenei woman smiled and waved at the mage and jedi above them on the balcony. A gutsy orc emerged from the crowd's edge and spat on the ground at the woman's feet, and the orc with her stopped and confronted the other. Demira and Daneel could not hear what was said, but after a tense moment the offending orc retreated back into the anonymity of the crowd. The couple then continued walking to the inn and disappeared from view when they entered the main lobby.

"They're here," Daneel told the mage.

"And they were holding hands!" she answered. "They're still together!"

A few minutes later there was a knock at the door to their room. Demira quickly kissed Daneel then ran into the room to answer the door. He followed her eager to greet their friends. She opened the door and welcomed the couple outside with a huge hug to both of them. Daneel smiled seeing his wife's excitement. She asked the couple if their trip was good, if they wanted something to eat or drink, and in the barrage of questions she asked them Zharn was able to slip past the elf and joined Daneel. With a nod the two men left to the balcony while behind them Demira nudged Kitali to a couple of chairs. The draenei seemed almost as excited as the mage. Zharn and Daneel smiled to each other as the women talked excitedly behind them. Once out on the balcony both men leaned on the railing and looked out over the bay.

"Kitali has been talking almost non-stop on the trip here," Zharn said with a sigh. "She couldn't wait to see you both again."

"Where did you two go?" Daneel asked. "I mean…we haven't seen or heard from you since our wedding."

Zharn looked at the jedi and smiled and then back out to the bay. "We needed to get away and find out if we still had feelings for each other," he answered. He looked back at the jedi. "So we headed out to the Maelstrom and worked with the Earthen Ring for a few months." He looked down and then back out over the bay. "It was the only place we could think of where two shamans from differing factions could be together and make a difference. That and we wanted to leave you and Demira alone for a while. After what happened…and then the wedding…we figured you could use some time alone."

"And we made you feel uncomfortable without intending to," Daneel said speaking the unspoken. Zharn looked down and nodded. "I am sorry we did that."

The orc looked at the jedi and laughed. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You and Demira belong together…even the Force knows that." He slapped Daneel on the back of his shoulder. "No, my friend, you have nothing to apologize for. If anyone should apologize it would be us…me and Kitali." The men turned when they heard the women screaming in excitement behind them. They turned back to face each other. "I guess Kitali told Demira our news," Zharn said with a grin.

"What news would that be?"

"That we are getting married," the orc replied. "That's why we asked you to come here. It's a neutral place where we can all meet."

"Judging by the reaction of the crowd when you arrived I am guessing your union is not met with enthusiasm amongst your peoples?" the jedi asked.

Zharn turned to look out over the bay. His expression changed to one of sincerity and etched with a little pain. "We have been ostracized by both orcs and draenei," he replied quietly. He turned to look back at the jedi and smiled. "A small price to pay for our own happiness."

"And it doesn't bother you that your own people have issue with it?"

Zharn's smile waned. "On Draenor my people tried to kill off hers. Although the reasoning behind that war was a lie told to my people by demons…the fact remains that the attempted genocide occurred. Orcs and draenei remember that time and feel anger or guilt or both." He smiled and looked out over the bay. "Some just don't understand or accept that two people from our races can find love. But I do love her and she loves me…and if even just a few of our peoples can look at us and think that maybe…just maybe…those old wounds can be healed…and that maybe it's time to start the healing process…then in the larger picture our upcoming marriage can be a very good thing." He looked back at the jedi. "A lesson both Kitali and I learned from you."

"Even if that does not happen," Daneel replied placing his hand on the orc's shoulder, "know that Demira and I will always accept you and welcome you into our home. I think the two of you getting married is a great thing." He leaned closer to the orc. "And congratulations."

"Thank you. We know you and Demira will always be there for us, and that's why we want you there with us when we make our pledge to each other," Zharn replied. "In the next day or two we'll arrange passage to Northrend."

"What's in Northrend?" Daneel asked.

"I have a friend there who can marry us," The orc replied. "And this friend doesn't care if we're orc, draenei, or even human." He bellowed out a laugh causing a few people below to look up at the two men. "And…Windi lives up there. We might find out her secret project."

The jedi smiled at the orc. "Do I know this person?"

Zharn looked at the jedi. "Nope. But I will tell you this…I made a lot of gnomish friends during the wars with the Lich King."

* * *

Across the bay from where Daneel and Zharn spoke on the balcony a slender blood elf woman watched intently standing under the awning of a bakery. She wore a black skirt that ran from just below her naval to her ankles. Her top was sleeveless and covered her from just under her medium sized breasts with a hood pulled back. She carried a bag that was slung over her left shoulder that was almost twice as big as she was wide at the hips. She had a heart shaped face with elegant features and full lips on a slightly small mouth. Dark red eye shadow and bright red lipstick were the only makeup she wore. Her long black hair was tied in a ponytail. Goblins, trolls, orcs, dwarves, and other beings traversed the boardwalk before her partially obscuring her view, but she knew who the two men were…especially the one who appeared human. From behind a large hand touched her shoulder. She turned to look at the human who dared touch her. He stood half a foot taller than she and was easily over two hundred pounds. From the smell of his breath she figured the man had just left the nearby tavern. She sneered at the brute and turned back to look at the balcony. The two men were walking back into their room. Squinting in anger she turned back to look at the brute who was now running his hands along her back and towards her waist.

"You are such a pretty little thing," the man slurred. "I bet I can show you a real good time."

She examined the man looking him up and down as the crowd around them started to take notice wondering if she would reciprocate the brute's attempt at flirtation. She smiled and leaned closer to him. "Now what makes you so sure you can show me a good time?" she purred. A few people in the crowd stopped and a few others began murmuring. She leaned in closer and placed her hands on his chest. "Are you a sailor?" she asked running her right hand down towards his waist. "I like sailors."

The man looked at a couple of other men in the crowd and looked back at her. He smiled with yellow stained teeth. Small bits of food were mashed between them. "I'm first mate on a ship docked here," he answered. He placed his left hand on her breast. She looked at his hand then back at his face. "You like that? I do…feels really good…bet it looks really good too." A few men in the crowd began whispering trying to encourage the man.

"Does your ship have a really big mast?" she replied coyly running her hand lower towards his crotch. "I love big ships with really big masts."

"It's big enough," the man replied looking back at the other men in the crowd smiling widely. Suddenly he grimaced and doubled over. The elf woman had grabbed his manhood and was squeezing it. He feebly looked back at the woman's face and tried to speak, but only a small squeak emerged from his mouth. She let go of him and he fell to the boardwalk grabbing his crotch and writhing in pain. The crowd moved back giving the blood elf room. Some were laughing and pointing at the fallen sailor.

"I'm afraid your mast is just not that big," she replied with a laugh. "You must be first mate of a dingy."

She stepped over the brute and walked into the crowd. None impeded her progress. Once clear of the mob now growing around the sailor she looked back towards the balcony. Neither of the men had returned. She took a deep breath and began walking towards the docks. The thumb of her left hand played with the ring on her finger. At the docks she stopped and looked at the ships moored there. All of them were small and crewed with less than savory men and women, but she expected nothing more from a pirate hideaway. She raised her hand to her waist and examined the ring on her finger…one made of gold with a reddish green crystal in the center. She looked back at the ships and smiled as she spotted one that just might serve her purposes. Squaring her shoulders she lowered her hand and walked towards the ship at the far end of the docks. Standing at the bottom of the loading ramp to the ship was a goblin with gray, thinning hair. He looked up at her with black beady eyes. There was a wart at the end of his nose with a single black hair growing from it.

"What is this vessel's destination?" she asked the goblin while looking at the sails of the ship.

"Who's askin'?" he replied.

The blood elf looked down at the annoying goblin and waved her right hand before his face. "You want to tell me this vessel's destination."

"I want to tell you this vessel's destination," the goblin intoned. "We're heading to Northrend."

"I want to book passage on your ship," the woman stated bluntly. "How much will it cost to get me there without any questions or interference from anyone onboard?"

"Look, lady," the goblin began, "We're just a cargo ship. We don't have passenger cabins or room to take passengers."

"Are you the captain of this ship?" she asked. The goblin nodded back yes. "You have your own cabin then?"

"I do…what of it?"

"I'll buy passage on your ship and private usage of your cabin."

"Not happening lady," the captain answered.

The elf reached into the bag at her hip and pulled out a brick of gold about a foot long, six inches wide, and four inches thick. The captain's eyes widened as sunlight glinted off the gold bar. "I can pay you two of these now plus another fifteen when we reach Northrend. I believe that is worth more than your entire shipment of cargo." The goblin tentatively reached his hands towards the bar. She handed it to him. He almost doubled over at the weight. He looked back at the smiling woman. "Do we have a deal?" she asked.

"Two of these now and another fifteen once we reach Northrend?" he said hefting the bar. He was certain the gold was real judging by the weight. "Make it twenty and we have a deal."

"Sixteen," the woman countered.

"Nineteen."

"Split the difference and make it eighteen," she replied. "That's twenty total once I am in Northrend. That includes use of your personal cabin and no interaction with any of the crew…including you…until we reach Northrend."

"Deal!" the goblin replied. "You have any luggage?"

"Only what I have with me," she replied as she started walking up the ramp. "When do we depart? The sooner the better."

"For you we'll leave within the hour," the captain replied. The cargo the ship was carrying was worth only about half what this woman was paying him…he would leave right now if she demanded it.

"Good," she replied not looking back. "Which is the way to _my_ cabin?"

"Top of the plank you will see the door to the below decks. Inside there is another stair that goes back and up. Take that and it goes right to my cabin." She stopped and looked back at him. She was beautiful, but the look in her eyes scared him. "I…um…I mean your cabin." The woman nodded with a curt smile and continued walking up the gangplank. He shook his head and looked for a place to set the gold bar. He could have sworn that blood elf looked back at him with red eyes.

The ship set sail within the hour as the captain promised and after a few hours and near nightfall it was now out in the open seas. The blood elf woman paced the floor of the cabin. It was a meager room, but it would serve her during the voyage. From her bag she had removed a device and set about fumigating the room and removing the dungy smell the captain was apparently used to. Along one wall was a dresser and one of the first things she had done was remove the goblin's clothing and threw them outside the door. She had heard the captain complain, but wanting to get his payment he never bothered to knock on the door. 'Smart man,' she thought. On the adjacent wall was a desk and chair. She sat in the chair and perused the documents left on top. Strewn about were typical shipping manifests and log entries, but nothing out of the ordinary.

"Why are you returning to the north, daughter?" said a voice behind her. She did not turn to look. "What do you expect to find there?"

"Don't you have someone else to haunt?" she asked finally turning in her chair. Standing near the center of the room was the Force apparition of her father…Lord Varok.

"There is no one left of our kind on this world," he replied. "Nobody left alive to carry on my work."

The woman stood and walked towards the ghost. "Your work? You mean your failure…don't you?" She stopped mere inches from the sith ghost. "You promised me, father."

"Selene…I…"

"I have controlled this slave's body for centuries while you failed miserably to resurrect my own….centuries trapped in this!" she said running her hands along her body. "I am sith! Not…not this!"

"It was necessary, my child," he answered. "This body you control is close to perfection. It is beautiful and powerful. It is the best this world has to offer…it is…"

"It's not sith, father! It's not me!" She held up her left hand before the apparition…showing it the ring on her finger. "This is all that is left of me! All because you are a failure! You should never have accepted that deal with Sargeras. It's because of you that I am trapped on this world and without a sith body." She turned and walked back to the desk and leaned on it. "And now the jedi have killed me yet again."

"The jedi has not killed you, my daughter," Varok replied. She turned to look at the ghost that had now moved closer to her. "Take over this body. Take it over and embrace the power it can hold. Trust me…I know it is more powerful than any sith body…I know this for fact."

She looked at the cabin's ceiling and laughed. "Trust you? I should trust you of all people?" She turned to face him…the smile gone and replaced with a scowl. "You think I should perform the ritual and inhabit this body…not just control it? To transfer my essence from this ring to the body? Are you mad?"

"There is no other choice," the ghost of Varok replied. "Your apprentice was a failure."

"She betrayed me," the woman scoffed. "She decided to seize power for herself and betrayed the very person who showed her what true power was."

"And now she is dead," Varok replied. "Her failure was that all of the cloning material…all of that equipment…all was destroyed with her. You have no other choice…you must take over this body. There no longer exists any chance of recreating yours…those hopes are now gone. Embrace the body you now have…embrace it and live."

She looked back down at the ring and then at the apparition. Taking a deep breath she raised her right hand over the ring. Hesitating she looked back at the ghost of her father.

"Do it!" he commanded. "Do it and reclaim your power and glory!"

"To truly feel and see and hear again…not just through the slave's eyes and thoughts…from her body…but to actually feel them….so see again through eyes that are my own," she whispered.

"Crush this slave's essence. Claim her body as your own. That is the path you must take."

"And Northrend?" the woman asked. "Are you certain there is no hope there? There is nothing left?"

"Tareesha destroyed that lab with her incompetence," the ghost of Varok replied. "The only thing she managed to accomplish there was to create a clone of herself. All of the DNA and genetic material from your body she moved to the Rakata facility and it was destroyed by the jedi."

"I will kill this jedi and all that he cares for," the woman said staring at the ring on her finger. "I will crush him." Purple mists began moving from the crystal of the ring into the woman's hand. She lifted her head and closed her eyes.

"Yes! That's it, my child! Complete the ritual and become reborn!"

The mists intensified and the woman's back arched. Her mouth opened in a silent scream. Her body began to glow purple as the mists from the crystal ended. After a minute the woman's body relaxed and her head lowered to face the ghost. Her eyes glowed purple for a moment before dissipating as did the glow about her body. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her eyes opened…red sith eyes…and she looked at the apparition with a wicked smile. Suddenly she gasped and looked down at her body. She shook and looked up at the ghost with an expression of ecstasy.

"How does it feel to be alive once more, my daughter?" Varok asked.

"Amazing," she replied with glee. "I can actually feel again…the wind in my hair…on my body…this sensual, exquisite body." She looked at the ghost seductively. "No longer do I sense things from outside…but I feel everything. You were right, father. This body is powerful and still young." She raised her hands towards the ghost.

"What are you doing?" he asked backing from her.

"I am claiming what is rightfully mine, father," she replied. Purple waves of energy began to siphon from the apparition towards the woman's hands.

"You…you can't do this! I am your father!" Varok's voice screamed. "I will not join you!"

"Now who said anything about joining me? I am binding you….binding your power to me!" she said with a laugh. The waves intensified and the ghost screamed. It began to distort as the waves flowed into her hands.

"You can't control me," the ghost said as the last remnants of the energy was sucked into her body.

"I never wanted to control you, father" she said looking at where the ghost had been…now only empty space. She lowered her hands and tilted her head back laughing. "I only wanted to consume you and your power." She laughed maniacally at what she had just accomplished. The ancient art of Forcewalking that first originated with Lord Ergast. After a minute she looked back down and at the door to the cabin. Drunk with her newfound power, Selene approached the door. "Time to test the limits of this body," she said opening the door. It was night out and lighting flashed from a nearby storm. The thunder covered the screams of the crew as she slaughtered them.

* * *

Daneel stood on the starboard bow of a passenger vessel sailing north to Northrend. The accommodations were adequate...it wasn't a luxury ship. He and Demira had paid for the trip despite the protestations from Kitali and Zharn. Demira told them to accept it as a wedding gift to the couple which seemed to satisfy them for the time being. They had stayed in Booty Bay for about two days before booking the passage to Northrend. When this ship had arrived at port the jedi seized the opportunity to talk to the captain of the vessel and procure the best room available for the couple. He and Demira stayed in more modest accommodations, but they were content. When the jedi presented the gold to the captain for payment the human even offered his own cabin for the couple to stay in during the voyage, but Daneel refused saying what he had available was more than sufficient. Now as he looked out over the ocean a day into their cruise he felt content.

"Trying to escape?" Daneel heard a woman say from behind. He turned to see Kitali smiling and approaching him.

"Just enjoying the ocean breeze," the jedi replied. The draenei walked up next to him and joined him looking out over the seas. "You come up here for some fresh air?"

"Yep," she replied with a nod. She was wearing a thin white band of cloth that came around her back, over her breasts, and crossed to wrap around her neck and a matching sarong. The white coloring contrasted quite alluringly with her blue skin and raven colored tresses which billowed in the breeze. "Our room is fantastic, but I like to get out into the open and let the wind blow in my hair." She turned to look at him. "Thanks again for that wonderful cabin."

"It was our pleasure." He looked back at the woman who stood half a head taller than he. "How's Zharn enjoying the trip?"

Kitali laughed. "You know…for a man who has been into space in one of the strangest contraptions I have ever seen…he's not handling it well. He doesn't like boats much."

"I'm surprised he suggested this trip then," the jedi said. "It was his idea to take a ship to Northrend."

"He's been on boats before," Kitali answered. "He just gets sick when he eats…so he doesn't eat…which makes him sick anyway. But he figures a few days discomfort is worth the prize at the end of the journey."

They were interrupted by a clanging bell. Both looked up towards the crow's nest as the sailor stationed there shouted, "Ship! One mile off the port bow!" The jedi and shaman tried to avoid the flurry of activity as the crew scrambled around the deck securing lines and arranging the ship's meager defenses. Daneel saw the captain emerge from below and walk to the base of the mast holding the crow's nest. The sailor looked down at the captain. "Too far away to see any colors, captain. But there is a column of smoke coming from it. Reckon it might be adrift…don't see a sail hoisted from this distance." The captain nodded and turned to his crew bellowing orders.

"Something is wrong here," Daneel said after a moment. He looked over to Kitali. "Get back below and find the others. Find somewhere out of the way and safe. Tell Demira I sense a disturbance in the Force."

"What does that mean?" she asked. "I thought there were no more of those types left except you."

"It appears we were wrong about that," the jedi replied looking towards the port. The smoke mentioned by the lookout was now barely visible on the horizon. "I am going to talk to the captain. Get to the others and do as I asked, please."

The draenei nodded and made her way to the decks below. Daneel began walking towards the captain who stood amidships shouting more orders to his crew. The jedi stopped abruptly almost colliding with a dwarf carrying a coil of rope. He took another step and stopped as a troll passed him carrying a small crate that appeared to have some weight. "One half mile and closing, sir," he heard the lookout cry out. He looked off to port and the other ship was just visible. Smoke rolled from the mid-deck of the ship. "Still no visible colors," the lookout shouted. But the jedi sensed a presence coming from that ship…a dark presence. Maktai had alluded to other descendants but had mentioned they were unaware of their heritage. Had the old sith been lying? He started walking again until he was next to the captain. Did Tareesha have an apprentice they were not privy to? "Six hundred yards!" cried the lookout. He tapped the captain on the shoulder trying to get the man's attention. The haggard human turned around to face him.

"Might I suggest avoiding that ship, captain?" he said.

"I have to investigate it," the man replied. He looked at a nearby human securing lines to a cannon. "You! Tighten those knots. I'll not have that thing rolling across the deck and wrecking the other side!"

"Sir!" the sailor replied turning his attention to the knot indicated by his captain.

"But might I remind you this is a passenger vessel with many innocents aboard?" Daneel said.

The captain looked back at the jedi. "Look…I don't care who you are or how much gold you have…on my ship I give the orders. There is a ship that appears to be on fire and I intend to render whatever aid I can." He looked up at the helmsmen near the wheel which steered their vessel. "Bring us alongside!"

"There is a danger on that ship you are not aware of, captain," Daneel stated. "It would be best to steer clear and alert a military ship to come and investigate."

"Two hundred yards!" the lookout bellowed. "No sign of fire but a lot of smoke!"

"Steady now…bring us in close," the captain said to the helmsman who nodded back while moving the large wheel slightly left. The captain turned towards the crow's nest ignoring the jedi. "See anyone on board?" he shouted.

"Nothing, sir," came the reply. "Just lots of smoke. No fire, no movement…nothing," the man yelled back. "Wait! I see someone!" he said pointing.

Daneel and the captain looked at the other ship which was now only a hundred yards away. Thick black smoke rolled from the decks and climbed now high in the sky. The captain squinted trying to see something, but Daneel tensed beside him grabbing the lightsaber hilt at his waist. A strong breeze started clearing some of the smoke, and standing in the middle of the ship was an elven woman wearing black robes that left her midriff bare. She was standing will her arms against her sides and head lowered, and the wind blew her long hair behind her like a black halo. The captain raised his hand to his mouth to shout at the woman, but the jedi's hand stopped him. He rounded on Daneel and was about to berate him for interfering but stopped when the green blade ignited on the lightsaber. The captain's eyes widened and he stepped back away from the jedi.

"It's about time you got here!" the woman shouted. The captain looked back at the other ship that was only fifty yards away now. "Do you know what kind of hassle I went through to arrange this meeting, jedi?" She looked up. Gasps came from several crewmen. Her eyes were red despite her appearance as a blood elf. The captain looked to his side to see Daneel standing feet spread apart, lightsaber in his right hand held down and slightly back, and his left arm outstretched before him with fingers splayed wide. Looking back at the elven woman he saw that her hands were now straight out to her sides. "I have been looking forward to this for a long time," she said.

"Order your crew to get us away from that ship," Daneel said not looking at the human. Behind the man Demira came running across the deck. She stopped and gaped at the woman on the other ship. "Now, captain!" the jedi said sternly.

Above them helmsman didn't wait for orders but began turning the wheel hard to the right steering the ship to starboard. The captain just stood where he was with jaw dropped as the elven woman began to levitate above the other deck. She leaned her head back and purple lightning sprouted from her fingertips. Beside him the air in front of the jedi's outstretched hand began to churn and glow a bright yellow. Crewmen hoisted more sails gathering wind to speed them away from the smoldering ship with the strange woman. Without a word Demira grabbed the captain's shoulders pulling back and away from the jedi. The churning air became a ball of white energy…an attack the mage had seen many times before. Thunder rolled and a bolt of purple lightning struck the ship. Then there was another…and another. Then more lightning as if they were suddenly caught in a maelstrom.

Demira looked up at the helmsman. "Give us all the speed you can…get us out of here!"

Zharn and Kitali emerged from below into a flurry of activity. Lightning was striking everywhere and thunder rolled. The orc, dressed in simple brown leather pants and jerkin, looked to the sky but there was not a single cloud. Near them a dwarf screamed in pain as a purple bolt struck him. The couple looked ahead to see Demira shouting to the helmsman while pulling the human captain back from the port side railing. Daneel stood near the edge of the vessel with a ball of energy forming before his outstretched hand. With a slight push of his arm the energy ball flew towards another ship. They followed its trajectory to see an elven woman levitating above the deck half obscured by smoke. Purple lighting sprouted from her fingers. The ball of energy struck her in the midsection and she screamed as she fell to the deck. The lighting suddenly ceased as did the thunder. The couple looked at each other and ran back below decks. Seconds later they returned each holding a totem in their hands. The sails of the ship grew taut as the winds picked up. Catching the wind the ship picked up speed and the distance increased between the two vessels. After a couple more minutes the wind lessened, but now the other vessel was just a speck on the horizon. The jedi kept his vigil watching the other ship even after it disappeared from sight.

* * *

Selene picked herself up as the other ship drew further away. Anger boiled inside her as she watched her quarry flee…a chance at vengeance slipping through her fingers. Two days lying in wait now wasted. Leaning her head back she screamed at the top of her lungs. Throwing her arms to her sides lighting struck from her fingertips. Shards of wood and bits of metal exploded where the bolts struck the already heavily damaged ship. An explosion of furious anger wracked the already decimated vessel. Wrecked corpses that were strewn across the deck exploded into gory bits and pieces in the torrent. Finally the lightning storm ended as her arms went limp falling to her sides. She lowered her head and with her red sith eyes looked to her left and then her right. Her nostrils flared, and with a huff she walked towards the door leading below. She was back on the top deck a minute later carrying her bag slung over her left shoulder. She produced a small metallic object from it and keyed in a sequence of commands on the small control panel. With a sigh she put the device back in per bag and pulled out the gold brick similar to the one she had given the goblin captain two days before. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Opening them again she smiled and sauntered towards the captain's charred remains lying face down on the deck. She stopped next to it and with her foot turned the body over. The goblin's nose and eyes were the only features left unburned. Lifeless black eyes looked at her as she smiled at the dead man. To the port side of the ship water bubbled followed by the emergence of a sleek submersible craft. It settled next to the cargo ship and a transparisteel canopy opened above a single person cockpit.

"Here is the rest of the gold I promised you, captain," she said in a melodious voice as she dropped the heavy bar onto the corpse's head. The skull cracked and putrid smelling gray matter spilled onto the deck. "I am afraid I must part company. My ride is here, and since you did not deliver me to Northrend as we agreed you will just have to accept this second bar of gold as payment." She looked up to where the other ship was now long out of sight. The smile vanished from her face. "We will meet again, jedi. That I swear." She turned on her heel and jumped over the edge of the ship and through the hatch of the submersible. The canopy closed behind her and the sleek vessel slipped back below the surface of the water. Inside she set the course for Northrend…back to the underwater base she had come from. Further inland she knew there was a secret base not even the reds knew about. It was built by native slaves centuries ago led by her and her father. Only the traitor Tareesha knew of its existence outside the two of them. The smile crept back on her face as she imagined the torment she could enact on the supposed clone of her once talented apprentice…if her father's ghost had been telling the truth.


	13. The Padawan

_**Part Thirteen: The Padawan**_

Zharn leaned over the troll trying his best to heal the battered woman. The strange elf's attack had left four dead and many more wounded before they could escape the woman's wrath. Like him Kitali tried to help and heal as many as she could working diligently on the other side of the deck with a dwarf…the same who had been struck as they came from below decks during the attack. He looked towards the bow to see the jedi talking with the captain and first mate. Demira was standing by her husband's side offering support and suggestions as the captain barraged the jedi with numerous questions. The orc sighed and looked back down at his patient. The troll's face and body was burned badly on the left side. He had tried with everything he knew to heal the woman's wounds, but he was forced to settle with lessening her pain. He held her hand in his as he applied more healing salve to the troll's face near the now sightless and damaged left eye. With her good eye she looked at the orc with a knowing she was about to die. Zharn said nothing, but as she left this world he felt a pain deep inside. Before her eye rolled up she seemed to wordlessly thank him for his effort in easing her passing. Her hand went limp in his, and with tears running down his cheeks he placed the woman's lifeless hand on her chest and closed the one eye.

Now there were five dead at the hands of the elven stranger. So much suffering and pain and for why? Even the jedi didn't know. There had been no warning except what the jedi sensed in the Force, no demands of surrender, no indication that she wanted anything other than to cause suffering and death, and that she was after the jedi. Her only vocal outburst directed at the jedi was why he now stood away from the rest of the ship's crew and passengers talking to the captain. His counterattack was the main reason most of the ship's compliment was still alive. Although it only distracted the woman it was enough for them to escape. Zharn had talked to Daneel immediately afterwards, and looking at the carnage left in the wake of the Force attack he had to agree…staying to face the attacker was not an option or the list of casualties would have been much higher. He looked back towards the bow to see the captain and first mate leaving the jedi and mage alone.

A yeoman stepped next to Zharn. He looked at the human and nodded. The troll's body would be another added to the other dead for a funeral at sea. The orc stood and stepped to the side as the yeoman summoned two more crewmen to help move the woman's body. Deciding to leave the couple at the bow alone he looked around for someone else to help. Because he had not had the chance to don his shoes Zharn had to watch where he stepped. During the Force lightning attack the ship suffered heavy damage on the deck. Many of the railings had been blasted leaving large chunks of wood and splinters scattered about the deck. The main mast also had a large chunk blown from it and several crewmen worked diligently to strengthen it. The main sail itself had suffered damage and after about twenty minutes into their flight from the other ship it had ripped. Because of this extensive damage and loss of their main sail the captain had ordered a return to Booty Bay, but while it had taken them a day to get here it would be almost two days to make the trip back. The orc stepped around a hole in the deck left by one of the bolts of lighting. Standing next to the hole, one could see down two more decks because the lightning had struck that hard and deep. Zharn stopped and looked up at the crow's nest…or more what remained of it. The lookout was one of the four killed during the attack. The remaining part of the nest was barely enough to hang a flag from. The man's body had been blown to sea when lighting struck the nest. They were never able to recover the body as it was still near the other ship and the navigator plotted their return course with a heading far away from the site of the attack. The orc found himself mesmerized by the sheer carnage. He felt a hand on his right shoulder and looked down to see Kitali standing next to him. She placed her head on his shoulder and hugged his neck. He wrapped his right arm around her waist and his left hand on her arm.

"The dwarf?" he asked. She nodded no. "So many killed and injured. Not by war or disease or famine…but for some reason none of us know…so pointless," he muttered. He looked up to the bow. Daneel was leaning on the remains of the railing with his head held low. Demira was behind him…hugging him…and Zharn thought trying to comfort the jedi. "I think Daneel feels responsible for what happened," the orc finally said.

"He is not to blame," the draenei said quietly. "None of this is his fault."

"The woman said she was looking for him specifically," Zharn replied. "Were I in his shoes I would feel much the same as he."

"That is what makes you both great men." Kitali whispered.

* * *

Selene piloted the craft to a location off the coast and close to one hundred feet below the surface. In the murky water the lights of the submersible highlighted remains of a once great city now only in ruin from centuries before the arrival of the sith. Who had lived there or what had happened mattered nothing to the woman now traversing the pillars and columns of long decayed structures. Her only concern was the local species called the Naga that approached the ruins from time to time. The bothersome creatures would venture too close and discovery of the hidden sith base was a real concern to her. She jabbed the control panel to key up the positions of long placed laser turrets. All appeared to be online and functioning and she punched in the bypass codes so she could slip past the sensor net. Once past the defensive line she reactivated the sensors should the Naga intrude upon the area yet again. Over the past thousand years the cloaked sensors and turrets had kept the base safe and secret. Ahead of the sub she spotted the large dome of one of the old buildings. Smiling to herself she punched in another set of pass codes into the computer. The dome opened to reveal a hanger bay underneath kept dry by a force field similar to those used on space-based hanger bays. The small craft stopped just above the dome and then lowered vertically into the bay. Once it was passed the lining of the force field the dome closed behind leaving no evidence it was something other than an old ruin.

Over the centuries the sith had procured slaves from the native population. They had avoided mages deeming them too unpredictable to use, but artisans and builders they picked up in places where war had rampaged or famine had struck…never from highly populated areas or places where the missing people would be noticed. Secrecy was vital to the sith on this world. Selene set the craft on the flooring of the bay and exited the cockpit. Walking across the deck she remembered they had tried to harvest some of the Naga when constructing this base, but the creatures were too violent and unmanageable. They guarded ruins like these fiercely, and the fight to acquire this particular location was bloody for both sides. The sith eventually won out with several casualties, and the local clan of the Naga was wiped out. What their place was in this world Selene did not care. She surmised that by the condition of the buildings they had once been on the surface and the Naga once air breathers, but what had happened to bring the cities below water or what changed them from air to water breathers mattered little now to the sith woman. What did matter was that the other Naga clans knew nothing of the base here or what had happened to the clan that once inhabited the ruins. The automated turrets and sensor net secured that secrecy…another nice discovery of Rakata technology they found on the frozen unnamed planet where Sargeras had first approached them.

The elven woman stepped before a door leading to the rest of the underwater base and entered the pass code to enter the base proper. The door opened to reveal a lift car. She stepped inside and entered the commands to take the lift to the main level one hundred meters below. This was the base they had brought dwarven builders in to carve a habitable environment and was the first on the surface after leaving the _Vindictive_ in orbit. Once the dwarves had finished their work they had been escorted to the hanger above. She remembered watching them from below on monitors as the short men and women ran in panic while the dome opened above them and flooded the bay. They had served their usefulness and were no longer needed.

The lift stopped at the main level and she exited into a vast pentagonal room with several corridors branching from the corners. Still to this day she marveled at the craftsmanship of the dwarven slaves. The walls were smooth and seamless which amazed her since they were essentially a technologically inferior and genetically weaker species. This was also the main base the reds had used before Seurat's insurrection aboard the _Vindictive_. Afterwards the rest of the reds had been content with the base near the elven forest while she and her father secretly built another base on this continent for their clandestine genetic and cloning experiments. The base near what was now Stormwind had long been abandoned after the greens took over and Varok ordered an orbital bombardment forever burying the facility. Centuries later the humans built their current capitol unaware of what lay beneath the surface. But this base…this had been her home for over a thousand years. The main room housed the various computer terminals for the weapons and defense systems as well as the environmental systems. She walked past the different consoles and briefly scanned the readouts looking for anything out of acceptable range…nothing worth lingering over. She continued walking forward to the corridor straight across from the lifts. Automated lights illuminated the hallway and its adjoining rooms.

She stopped before one open door. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath. She always did this near this particular room, but now she did with a feeling of dread. Turning her head to look inside she opened her eyes. On the far wall highlighted by overhead spotlights was a stasis chamber with a transparisteel front. She slowly walked towards it holding her hands above her heart and tears welled in her red sith eyes. After all these centuries seeing him like this still touched that soft side of her psyche…a weakness she could not purge…her husband kept alive but tainted. To make the underlings willingly drink the blood of the demon, Sargeras, he had been the one lord to set an example for those beneath him, but he never realized the true cost until it was too late. His eyes were closed on a slightly raised head with green skin. His arms were crossed over his chest much like he would be in a sarcophagus. She stopped before the glass and reached out with her right hand to touch it. Of all the greens only he knew what was happening to him…to all those who drank the blood. Knew he did not want to succumb to the blind addictions that came with the taint as he had seen in the others. His strength in the Force and his willpower had delayed the addiction…but it was only a delay…he could not avoid the inevitable. She had placed him in this chamber as he had begged her to. Her genetic work with her father they had begun in an attempt to restore her husband to his true red skinned sith perfection. Later when the taint began showing in her she pressed her father more and more to find a cure. When she began to feel the amulet's affects on her…the onset of the rakghoul plague…she convinced her father to remove her crystal from the amulet hoping that would cease the curse, but still the plague coursed through her body. As she lay convulsing in her bed while the plague reached its final stages…while her body began the transformation…he had performed the ancient ritual to place her entire essence into the crystal. When she finally saw again it was several centuries later. She remembered the thoughts of the slave girl as she resisted at first, but soon Selene was able to overpower the elven girl and control her body. It was in this very room she awakened back into the world…but only partially awake. The elf's hands and legs were bound to a table sitting at an angle against the wall. Her father was leering over her face calling out her name. She saw her husband over her father's shoulder and screamed in agony. She was awake but still in the same horrible nightmare. Over time she had come to accept her fate, but still she pressed her father to find a cure and resurrect her body. As much as she blamed the jedi for her condition and that of her husband it was also her father who shared that blame.

Selene continued looking at her comatose husband. "I am here, my love," she whispered through tears. Her hand rose to hover above her husband's face. She stroked the glass as if stroking his cheek. "I may not look the same but I am here." She leaned in closer and stretched her body along the front of the stasis chamber. Her left hand lowered towards the control panel on the side. "I took vengeance on my father for you…for me…for us," she whispered with closed eyes. Tears ran freely down her cheeks. "I consumed him for failing us." Her eyes opened and her lips began trembling. "I can never again be as I was, my love." Her fingers touched the control knob governing the chamber's power supply. "Nor will we ever find the cure for what ails you. He failed us," she whispered turning the power to the 'off' position. The body inside convulsed once as it expired…the environment inside changing from one preserving life to that like the vacuum of space. Selene slumped to the floor wracked with tears. She had done what she had to do to preserve him as he wanted in life...to remain free of the madness. Now she did what was needed yet again…by killing him…to remain free of the madness. Although in her mind she knew what she was doing would be as he would have wished…in her heart she was dying…again. In that moment consumed by her pain she restated her pledge to seek her vengeance against the one left she felt responsible for all her woes….she would kill the jedi. And for her husband she would kill all those the jedi cared about.

* * *

Once back in Booty Bay the two couples left the beleaguered ship and left the city. Once outside Demira opened a portal to Northrend to avoid a recurring event like what had happened two days prior. Little was spoken during the trip as the two shamans worked round the clock to help those injured in the attack. The jedi kept mostly to himself as most of the survivors blamed him for the attack since the elf woman had called on him specifically. The captain had come close to abandoning the man on an island they had passed, but the helmsman and first mate had threatened mutiny. Not that they sided with the jedi but felt it was bad luck to maroon someone after such a horrific event. Demira stayed with Daneel during that time mostly behind the closed door of their cabin. Within an hour of stepping off the ship they walked through the mage's portal. Once through and standing in Northrend, Zharn and Kitali found themselves in the middle of an argument that apparently had been going on for the past two days. They looked at each other and then at Demira and Daneel.

"Since we are here now I think it's time we found her," Demira said turning on the jedi. They were all standing in the middle of an open field. A short distance away was a tree line and behind them Zharn thought he saw some old ruins. The mage put her hands on her hips and glared at the jedi. "Especially after what happened on the ship."

"She is not ready and I do not know if she will ever be ready," Daneel said turning to face her. "Besides that was only one woman…."

"And how many more are there?" Demira asked cutting him off. "Before she showed up we didn't think there were any more sith!" Zharn gave Kitali a confused look. "If there are more like I think there are then you can't do this all alone. You need to find her and start the training."

"She is too old and set in her ways," he replied turning to look at the trees. "It is too dangerous for her."

Now was Kitali's turn to give Zharn a confused look. They turned together and said," Guys?"

"Don't give me that 'she's too old' nonsense," Demira countered. "You were the one who thought she might make a good candidate for the training."

"Things have changed since then," the jedi responded.

"Guys?"

"What has changed beside the arrival of a sith? If she was good enough to be thought of for training then she should still be," Demira said.

"It's because of the arrival of a sith that I feel it's a bad idea to begin the training," Daneel replied.

"Guys?"

"Why?" she asked. "Are you afraid she will turn to the dark side?"

"Not that," the jedi answered. "But as long as she remains ignorant of her potential then she also remains anonymous to the sith however many there might be."

"But you will be there to protect her," the mage countered. "In your presence she will always be as safe as she can be."

"I may not always be there, Demira. She does not have the martial or magical abilities like you. She doesn't have the knowledge to protect herself if the sith approach." Daneel turned to face Demira. "It's safer to leave her as she is."

"Doesn't have the magical abilities? She's a mage in training!" Demira countered. "She's in danger more now than she would be with you. In this war between the Horde and Alliance she might as well have a target painted on her forehead! Mages are usually the first targeted during a battle. Trust me…I know!"

"Guys!"

"What?" Demira and Daneel said together finally responding to the other couple.

The shamans' eyes widened as the both leaned back at the exclamation from the bickering couple. Zharn swallowed hard. "What are you guys arguing about?" he asked.

"And you are thinking of training someone? As in train them in the Force? Like another jedi?" Kitali added.

"That's exactly what I am talking about," Demira replied looking at Daneel. "He needs to take on a padawan." Daneel dropped his arms to his sides and looked straight up at the sky. "I mean it…and we know where she is!"

"What's a padawan?" Zharn asked.

"And who is this woman?" Kitali again added.

Demira looked at the orc. "A padawan is a jedi in training. An apprentice." She looked at Kitali. "And this woman is a mage in training who just so happens to be a granddaughter of that old sith in Stormwind, Maktai."

"And you just said it right there…a mage in training," Daneel said beside her.

Demira tugged on the jedi's sleeve causing him to look at her. "She is not any good from what I have learned. She struggles with using arcane spells. You and I both know it's because she is too sensitive to the Force to use arcane magic properly. She'd make a perfect padawan." She looked back at the two shamans. "Guys…help me with this? I know this is the right thing to do. With that woman back on the ship…I know it's time he started thinking about training other jedi."

"I thought he was training you," Zharn said sheepishly. Kitali nodded beside him in agreement.

"I'm not training to be a jedi," Demira replied. "I'm a mage that just happens to know how to use the Force to power my spells when I need to…that's it." She looked back at Daneel. "Oh…and I'm his wife, which I think there is some jedi rule about being married to your padawan or something."

The jedi looked back up at the sky and sighed. "There is a rule about no emotional attachments which we broke long ago. If we were to strictly follow the jedi code we should have never gotten married." He looked back at her and smiled. "Some rules were meant to be broken."

Demira smiled back. "And a good thing too…but I still think you should train this girl." She looked back at the other couple as she reached down and held the jedi's hand. "So…back me up on this? Kitali…you agree with me, right?"

Kitali looked up with her eyes. Zharn beside her blurted, "I've only seen two sith and they both scare me and you know I don't scare easy so yeah I think you should train another jedi couldn't hurt in my opinion." He took a deep breath and looked at Kitali. "Hon?"

"Kit?" the mage asked. The shaman still looked back and forth with her eyes avoiding contact with her companions. "Kit? You agree with me…right?" She still did not answer. "KIT!"

"Alright! I…don't know," she finally answered. The others all looked at her with shocked expressions. "What?" she asked them.

"You don't know?" Demira asked incredulously. "What do you mean you don't know?"

Kitali looked at Zharn. "You weren't there, hon, so I don't expect you to quite understand," she began. She looked at Demira and Daneel. "But I was there when I saw what Daneel did when he thought you would turn into a rakghoul. Yeah…the sith we have seen are scary…but he was scarier when he was about to fall to the dark side. If he thinks there is a danger of that happening to this girl…then I would have to say I trust his judgment on this." She looked back at Zharn and shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry…I just think that is what is best." He smiled, nodded, and wrapped his arm around her waist.

"You are agreeing with him?" Demira asked. "I can't believe this!"

"You asked for my opinion," the shaman replied quietly. "I just wouldn't want to see all of that happen again."

Demira sighed deeply. "I…"

"Think she is right," Daneel said interrupting the mage. Demira turned her head and glared at him. "What I did was a frightening thing even for me." He looked at Demira. "And you are also right, hon. Perhaps I should train this girl so that such a thing that happened to me might not happen to her."

"You will train her then?" the mage asked.

"I will. You are right…she is too sensitive in the Force to use arcane magics sufficiently. In time she might discover this on her own and should she do so thus unlocking her Force abilities and walk the wrong path she may fall anyway. In training her I can help her to avoid such a future," he said. He looked at Kitali and smiled. "And in the process also avoid scaring her friends."

"So where do we find this girl?" Zharn asked.

"First things first," Demira smiled. "We get you two hitched…then we can think about finding the girl."

* * *

Selene stood to the side of the expedition leader. They were standing outside a village located near a small port in Northrend. Most of the inhabitants of this village were fishermen, but occasionally a merchant vessel or cargo ship ported here to reach other settlements further inland. Around this village were open snow and ice plains leading to a small mountain range several leagues away. With the war between the Alliance and the Horde consuming the attention of most of the natives this expedition had been arranged to take a small group of Alliance mages on a quest to find some ancient artifact of little significance in Selene's mind. Her focus was on one person in particular that was amongst these mages…someone of potential value to the jedi.

After the death of her beloved she had left the base to begin her plan of vengeance against the jedi. First and foremost on her agenda was to eliminate any possible resurgence of the order after she dealt with the lone master on Azeroth. Some of the human sith had families and there were descendents. While Tareesha had been her apprentice she was not the first choice for the sith lord. Selene found one other on this world that she thought had potential, but after finding the girl and sensing her weakness for compassion Selene had decided to instead train the older woman. The enemy, she assumed, also now knew about the girl and would exploit her weakness and train her as a jedi. Selene could not allow this so she had hired a native bounty hunter to track down the girl and provide the sith with her whereabouts. That hunter, a human with shaggy brown hair and beard, had demanded what he thought was an exorbitant amount of gold, but Selene had simply smiled and paid him what he wanted. That man had sent a message to Selene via a prearranged courier that he had found the girl and she was coming to Northrend. Ironically, the expedition leader she stood next to now had demanded more of the metal. Again she had paid the requested amount with a smile thinking to herself that a monetary system based on a common metal would prove to her advantage. These people valued gold above all other metals because it was rare to them, but back at her base she had over a thousand bars of the stuff just collecting dust. It was a metal readily found in meteors and asteroid belts and was commonly used for electrical devises as well as some adornment because of its color. When the sith had discovered the value placed on gold amongst the native population they had immediately salvaged tons of the metal from the _Vindictive_…it was easily accessible to them and plentiful. Natives like the expedition leader standing beside her valued the metal so much she used that power to exact what she wanted and found it more potent than a simple mind trick in the Force.

"When will our other guests arrive?" she asked with a melodious voice. The human male turned to look at her and smiled. He was handsome by native standards having a medium build and rugged features. He wore his blonde hair straight and shoulder length with a goatee. With her gold and a little seduction she had this man completely under her control…he apparently liked elven women. "I am anxious to see these mages," she said while wrapping her arm around his.

"Should be around midday," he replied turning her and wrapping her in his arms. "More than enough time to get better acquainted…don't you think?" He smiled lustfully at her.

She looked at into his eyes and then around the village. "Do you have something in particular in mind?" she asked looking back at him with a seductive smile.

"I know of this small inn. We could…spend some 'quality' time together while we wait."

Selene leaned to whisper in his ear, "absolutely."

The man turned to his first and issued orders for the rest of the team to set camp for the night and that once the mages arrived they would leave at first light the next morning. He then led Selene into the village. She played the part of willing partner as they entered the inn and the man paid for a room. The innkeep only smiled knowingly at the couple. Several minutes later Selene returned to the surprise of the innkeep. Without a word she swung her crimson bladed lightsaber across the neck of the woman cleanly severing her head from the rest of her body. Several patrons shouted in dismay before they too were slaughtered by the elven sith. By the time the ship docked at the small port the rest of the villagers and the expedition team laid in ruin. The ship's crewmen who tied the moorings never saw her come at them…never felt the blade enter their bodies as she killed them. Selene killed every person except one…a blonde haired human woman. Standing on the deck of the ship with this woman on her knees before her Selene finally allowed herself a genuine smile.

"W…w…why have you done this?" the young woman asked. Selene knew she was in her early twenties but she looked several years younger. She had plain features on a round face and a slim body. "W…w…what did they ever do to y…y…you?"

"You are the mage named Celeste? Your family lives in a small village outside of Stormwind in Alliance territory, yes?" the elven sith asked. When she had earlier studied the girl she was but a child of five years. Selene wasn't certain how Maktai's descendant would appear now. Her lightsaber she held down to her right side…the blade casting an eerie red glow upon the deck littered with bodies of the other mages and ship's crew.

"What do you want from me?" the girl asked.

"You have already given it to me," the sith replied as she swung the blade through the girl's neck. The utter look of shock on her face as her head fell to the deck pleased Selene. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Raising her head and looking at the sky she laughed. "Who could you possibly train now, jedi? Now only you and I remain…and my revenge!" she shouted.

* * *

Celeste, descendant of Maktai, emerged from a small hut into the bitter cold of Northrend. Her wavy blonde hair that normally hung to her mid-back blew in the chill morning breeze. With a shiver she pulled a blanket tighter around her petite frame. She stood only five feet two inches which for a human was short but in her current company she was a giant. The normally busy gnome compound was quiet this morning. She had accompanied her master, Magnus Weathergear, to Northrend to see his sister, Windi. Magnus had also performed a wedding ceremony for the strangest couple Celeste could conceive…an orc man and a draenei woman. But strange as it seemed the couple appeared to genuinely love each other. With them were a high elf and a strange looking human that wore a metal spectacles. Even after the sun had fallen and night was full the man never removed his eye cover. She felt another shiver as she recalled thinking the two strangers kept watching her as the night progressed and the post-wedding festivities continued. She looked around the compound but saw no sign of either of them, so maybe it was all just her imagination…or the booze…or both. With a chuckle she walked towards the small building that belonged to Windi. Perhaps her mentor's sister could shed some light on the strange events of the previous evening…she apparently knew all four of them well judging how she acted around them. Even her mentor had spent a few hours talking to the strange man.

As the small human walked along the makeshift path she thought about her master. Celeste was twenty-five years old and should have by now become a full mage and not just an apprentice. When she was a child of five she could levitate objects just by thinking about it. One day while showing off for her friends a small man had observed her moving a rock from one side of a small pond to another. Afterwards that man, Magnus, had approached her parents about her magical abilities. He had been training her in the arcane ever since, but as she got older she never improved…she actually got worse. Other mages could harness the arcane energies and cast spells with ease, but for her it was difficult. She sighed knowing that her mentor would never give up trying to teach her, but he had to be frustrated with her inability to cast even some of the simplest spells.

"Good morning, Celeste," she heard a man say behind her. She stopped and closed her eyes. She recognized the voice as that of the man who wore the strange eye covering. With a deep breath she opened her eyes and forced a smile on her face. She turned to see the man standing several feet away…and beside him was Magnus. "I find it a little chilly this morning," the man continued. He was holding a small rock in his hand.

"Good morning to you also," she replied. "To you as well, master."

"Celeste, my dear," Magnus started, "may I introduce to you Daneel. He is what they call a Jedi Master." The strange man bowed his head slightly. She nodded back unsure what all of this meant…she had never heard of a jedi except in rumor around Dalaran. "He is a good friend of Windi's so you can trust him. He wants to ask you something."

"Ok," she replied tentatively.

"Celeste, what do you know of your heritage?" the jedi asked.

"My heritage?" she repeated. "My family is just farmers…have been for as many generations as we can remember. Why?"

"And you are the first mage in your family? There was never one before like a grandfather or great grandfather?" She shook her head no. The expression on her face showed she was obviously confused. Daneel held the rock on his open palm. Her eyes gaped as the rock began hovering mere inches above his palm. "I would like for you to do something for me, Celeste."

She swallowed hard staring at the levitating rock. "What is it you want?" she asked.

"I would like for you to take this rock from above my hand without touching it or using any arcane spell," he replied. Beside him her mentor held his hands behind is back and smiled at her. He was rocking back and forth on his feet.

"How am I supposed to do that without casting a spell" she asked looking at the man called a jedi.

"Like you did when you were a child…like when I first met you, young lady," Magnus answered.

"Just envision in your mind the rock moving from my hand to yours," Daneel responded. "Reach out with your mind."

Ok," she said warily. Celeste's brow furrowed as she concentrated hard on the rock and with her right arm outstretched. After a minute she sighed deeply and dropped her arm to her side. "It's simply not possible," she stated.

"You are thinking to hard," the jedi said calmly. "Do not think about moving the rock. Simply calm your emotions and imagine the rock moving from my hand to yours."

"Not possible without casting a spell. The arcane simply doesn't work as you suggest," she answered angrily. "This is pointless."

"This is not the arcane," he replied. He reached out with his free hand and from the ground by her feet another rock lifted and floated to his hand. She jumped back at first and gaped at the two rocks now floating above his hands.

"How'd you do that?" she asked.

"With the Force," he said. "The Force is the energy created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us and binds all things together. I am jedi and sensitive to the Force. With it as my ally I can do almost anything…like moving a rock with only my mind." He smiled at her. "You are like me and with your mind and the Force you can move this rock from my hand to yours. Have you never wondered why something like this was so simple when you were a child but as you have gotten older it has become more difficult?" She nodded to him. "It is because the arcane and the Force repel each other. It was never the arcane you used as a child, and the more you try to use arcane energies the more difficult it is for you to perform even the most simplest of spells…am I correct?" Again she nodded. "Let go of what you have been taught. Instead think back to when you were a child moving rocks for your friends. Think back to how you did that…you will remember. Then…you will move the rock from me to you."

Celeste looked down at the smiling Magnus. "Go ahead, child." She closed her eyes and stretched out her arm. She remembered as a child running and laughing. Then she was by a small pond by her family's farm. The neighbor's boy, Harry, picked up a rock and threw it into the water. She watched the splash and then the ripples travel outward in a circle. She wanted to do it to, but there were no rocks around her. She looked around and spotted one several feet away. She reached out her hand and squinting imagined the rock springing from the ground…and it did. She opened her eyes and gasped at the rock now in her hand. She looked up to see the jedi smiling at her.

"You have just taken your first step into something greater than you ever imagined," the jedi said.

Magnus took a few steps towards the woman and stopped before her. She knelt down to look him in the eyes. With a smile he said, "Celeste, my child, you are no longer my student…and I am no longer your teacher."

"But…master," she started.

"The jedi and I talked at great length about you last night during the festivities," he said. "I had some doubts at first, but the longer we talked the more I became convinced that magic and the arcane was never your path." He reached up and took the rock from her hand and dropped it to the ground. Then he held her hand with both of his. "I don't claim to know what this force is, but I do know what he can do because my sister has told me a few things. And after this I am certain that your future belongs on the path he is willing to lead you towards."

She looked from her mentor to the jedi. "I can teach you the ways of the Force and of the jedi if you are willing to learn," he said. "But it would mean leaving all you have learned and all you have behind. Is that something you can do?"

Celeste looked back at the smiling gnome. "Magnus…I have known you almost all of my life. You have been my teacher and my mentor. I trust you more than anyone in this world. Do you really think I should go with him and learn what he has to teach me? Do you think I have this force?"

"I think you should," he answered. "I trust my sister and she wholeheartedly trusts him. Seeing you move that rock this morning reminded me of what I saw in you as a child." He looked at the jedi then back at her. "I have taught you all that I know, but never have you been able to do what you did this morning. I have always had faith in you…known always that there was something special inside you…I just didn't know how to make you realize it yourself. This morning…I believe this man can teach you how to reach that greatness I know is there," he said pointing at her chest. "Go with him, child. Learn all he can teach you."

She leaned over and hugged the gnome who hugged her back. Holding back tears she said, "I'll never forget you, Magnus. Thank you for believing me all these years and never giving up on me."

"I'll never forget you either, child," he said. "Just remember to write me once in a while and let me know how things are going."

They soon separated and she looked up at the smiling jedi. Taking a deep breath she stood up and faced her new teacher. "I guess I should ask how soon we will be leaving. Do I have time to pack a few things?"

"There's no rush," he said with a chuckle. "I believe we have a few days here before departing for home. The newlyweds I think are not in such a hurry to leave yet."

"Good," she replied with a smile to the gnome. Looking back at Daneel she asked, "just one thing…do you ever take those spectacles off?"

She expected him to be angry…or laugh…or something, but the jedi just smiled. "I'll let you talk to my wife about that," he simply said. "It's better you get her perspective first."


	14. Vengeance and Sorrow

_**Part Fourteen: Vengeance and Sorrow**_

Selene raced across the snowy plain on her speeder. Just ahead was a mountain and she appeared headed for a collision with its base. Calmly she reached down to the center console and toggled a switch. Snow fell from a hidden door as it lifted to allow access for the sith into the base of the mountain. She didn't slow as she sped past the door, and toggling the switch again it closed behind her. The tunnel she now drove through was dark, but ahead automated lights began coming to life illuminating a large room. Finally slowing she entered the room and stopped just shy of striking the far wall. Selene powered down the speeder and climbed off. To her right was the only doorway and she stalked towards it. Her red eyes glanced from side to side and her face set as stone as she entered a short hallway. This base was small compared to the others the sith had built over the centuries. Along with her father she had performed experiments here trying to find a cure for a taint that she now knew did not exist. She passed a room on her left and noticed the contents inside had been ransacked by careless looters. She knew the reason and continued marching towards the main room of the base that served as the central laboratory for her part in the genetic experiments. Her nostrils flared at the thought of what her former apprentice had done to this facility and now she regretted ever showing the impudent wretch this base in the first place. She passed another room this time on her right that was ransacked much like the previous one.

The sith continued stalking to the last room at the end of the corridor. Reaching out with her left hand she pushed the door open with the Force. On the far side of the room was a stasis chamber displayed much as her husband had been back at her home base. In the stasis chamber was a copy of her apprentice, Tareesha. Selene sneered at the arrogant woman's attire. The half night elf /half sith always held the opinion she was the epitome of beauty in the likes of some old and forgotten queen from this planet's past. She stopped before the chamber and examined the clone. Where the lights shone directly her skin was dark blue and in the shadows dark red. Silvery hair hung loose over her shoulders barely covering the skimpy white top that looped around the neck and covered only the woman's breasts. From her waist down was a long white skirt. Selene sighed. While an apprentice the woman wore clothing that showed much of her abdomen as was common amongst sith women, but this outfit was more befitting a cantina dancer than a sith lord. Selene stepped back and looked at the rest of the room. It had not only been ransacked…it had been stripped bare. There was no equipment left beyond the stasis chamber. The tables, desks, and walls were completely barren….except on one table close by was a small box. Selene sighed and anger swelled within her at the sigh's echo in the room. She walked over to the box and lifted the lid. Inside was a bracelet made of silver with a reddish green crystal set in the center. The sith looked back at the clone and laughed.

"Did you forget one very important detail?" she said aloud. She picked up the bracelet and walked back to stand before the stasis chamber. Holding up the trinket she laughed again. "Transferring part of your essence into this bauble and cloning yourself was a good idea, but you forgot one very, very important detail…who's left behind to place your essence back into your body?" She turned and examined the bracelet with both hands. "I will say this is shiny and definitely your style…what style you did have. I wonder…should I actually help you out and restore your essence into that behemoth you call a body?" She looked back at the comatose clone. "I suppose I could find a use for you," she said with a sneer.

She reached over and slapped the controls that would awaken and release the body. There was a hiss from the machine as gasses were released and pressure equalized with that of the outside room. Selene smiled as the chamber door opened. The clone began breathing but otherwise remained comatose. Without the essence trapped within the bracelet it would continue to exist this way indefinitely…an empty and soulless husk. Giggling while she placed the bracelet on the right wrist of the clone, Selene thought of the plethora of torments she could perform on her former student. She then leaned forward and reached up to tap her finger on the clone's forehead.

"Wakey, wakey," she said with false mirth. The clone did not stir. Selene looked down at the bracelet and giggled. "You can do it…go on…time to return to the world." She tapped the bracelet and then looked back at the closed eyes of the woman that stood a over foot taller than her. The smile left her face and eyes. "Wake up, bitch!" she screamed. Still the clone made no reaction. The sith sighed and turned around. "Are you that pathetic you cannot even control your own body?" Reaching behind with her left arm and not looking Force lightning shot from her fingertips into the clone. It writhed inside the open stasis chamber, but still there was no sound or cognitive reaction. With a howl she turned and faced the clone and ceased her attack. "You marooned me on an island for over fifty years! If those pirates had not found me six months ago I would still be trapped in that hell!" she yelled with balled fists. "And in that time what have you done? You've ruined everything!" She took a deep breath and stepped back from the machine. The clone still made no reaction other than simply breathing. Selene began pacing before the body of her former apprentice. "Father and I worked centuries trying to find a cure for this taint. Learned to use the ancient technology we found to make clones and perform genetic tests. We took samples from this world thinking it may hold an answer…Sargeras is so interested in it there must be an answer here. Then when we found that answer we could return my crystal to the amulet and make the plague work on other species…make it more effective than just turning the greens into mindless beasts. All we needed was time which we had plenty of…until you grew impatient." She stopped and looked at the clone…the statuesque beauty of the mixture of night elven and sith genealogies. "You never bothered to learn the intricacies of our work or the equipment we used. In your blundering attempt to recreate yourself in this image of some long forgotten queen from this world you managed to fail miserably. Not only did you die at the hands of the jedi, but you also in your inadequacy destroyed every vestige of the work I labored over for centuries." She stepped forward to look up into the face of the clone. "Centuries! And if that wasn't enough I learn about all of this from some cult survivor? You took natives and made them privy to our plans for this world? What were you thinking?" She stepped back. "I killed the worm, of course," she said calmly. "And all the other survivors I forced him to reveal. The jedi was quite thorough in his destruction of your pathetic scheming. Only a scant five of your followers remained alive. They had escaped that lost Rakata facility. Never did I or my father imagine it had survived and thrived all these years in the ocean. What wonders we could have unlocked and achieved. But instead it was you, my apprentice, who found it. You…who did not have the slightest inkling of its potential. And now it is truly gone forever." She looked back at the face of the night elf. "Have you nothing to say? No retort at all?" There was no reaction from the clone. Selene sighed. "Pity…this would have been much more enjoyable if you were actually aware of this," she said as she ignited her lightsaber and plunged the blade into the clone's chest. Shaking her head she removed the blade and also the bracelet from the now dead body. She walked back to the table with the box and set the bracelet beside it. Selene raised the crimson blade with both hands above her head. Swinging down and striking the bracelet she said, "Welcome to oblivion, my apprentice."

* * *

Daneel walked with Zharn towards Windi's small laboratory. The gnome had been very secretive about her work since last seeing the two men, and after three days of silence they had decided to pay the small inventor a surprise visit. Curiosity had gotten the better of them, and as Zharn and Kitali planned to leave the compound with the gnome's brother later that morning the two men realized they just had to know what the big secret was. As they approached the small building a small explosion sounded from inside followed by smoke rolling out of the windows. Daneel and Zharn looked at each other and ran to see what had happened to their friend. As they neared the front entrance the door popped open and Windi emerged coughing smoke. Her hair was in disarray and smoldered at the ends while her face was covered in soot.

"Are you alright?" both men asked coming to a halt. The gnome looked up at them, gave them a thumb's up, and coughed more smoke followed by a faint smile.

"What happened?" Zharn asked trying to stifle a chuckle. Beside him the jedi brought his hand to his mouth covering a grin.

"I was trying to make one of those," she answered pointing to Daneel's lightsaber on his belt. "Every time I think I have it right the thing blows up."

The jedi stepped towards the small inventor and kneeled down on his left knee. "Windi, only a person sensitive to the Force can make a lightsaber."

"Why is that?" she asked. "It's just a mechanical device."

"Only one properly trained can use the Force to align the crystal. It is one of the first tests of a jedi. Some fail that test with deadly results. You are fortunate that you were not seriously injured."

"Oh…so it's the crystal alignment. I can solve that problem," she said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"I would listen to him, Windi," Zharn said behind the jedi. "We wouldn't want you getting hurt trying to obtain the impossible."

"People told me my rocket was an impossible dream, too," she retorted then stuck her tongue out at the orc. He couldn't help but laugh this time. She glared back at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "With the right determination anything is possible."

"I am afraid not this time, Windi," Daneel said. She looked at him with a sad expression. "Not only is the technology far beyond that known on this world, but I know of no machine…no matter how sophisticated…that could align a lightsaber crystal. Zharn is right on this…it is an impossibility for you to craft one of these."

Windi looked down at the ground feeling dejected. "There truly is no way to make one? They just look so cool." Daneel nodded back to her. "Could you…maybe…make me one?" she asked timidly.

"I cannot," he replied. "I am sorry, Windi."

Zharn walked past the jedi and placed his big hand on the gnome's shoulder. She looked at him with sad eyes. "Come on, Windi. Let's get this cleaned up. You're still coming with us to see us off…aren't you?"

"Of course," she replied. "And my brother. I rarely get to see him any more." The two walked back into her lab leaving the jedi alone outside.

Several hours later the jedi sat with Celeste on one of the hills outside the compound. Kitali and Zharn had left with the Weathergear siblings for a small fishing village about a day's walk away. From there the mage would catch a ship for a larger port and the two shamans would catch a ride back towards the Maelstrom to continue their work with the Earthen Circle. Now the jedi and his padawan sat with legs crossed, hands steepled before their chests, and eyes closed. The midday sun was high in the sky and provided a little warmth in the cold climate. Daneel had wanted to start the girl's training as soon as possible and this was their third day sitting on this hill in meditation. He felt the harsh climate would help to center the young woman's focus as she learned to reach out through the Force. He spoke to her as they meditated teaching her the necessity of calming one's emotions, of stretching out with her feelings and allowing the Force to flow through her. Her first day was filled with frustration as she struggled with what she had been taught as a mage and letting go of her preconceived notions, but he remained calm and patient. He knew this would be no easy task with a student already well into adulthood. On the second day she was able to feel the Force with little effort and with further instruction levitate small stones and rocks around them. She was naturally gifted and he was impressed with her progress in just two days. Her potential was staggering possibly matching or surpassing his own Force sensitivity. This day she levitated more stones and rocks…some twenty total floated in the air around them. He allowed himself a small smile.

"When one is fully open to the Force," he began quietly, "it can show you things. Visions. Some are from the past, some from the present, and some from the future."

"We can predict what will happen?" she asked keeping her eyes closed. The stones and rocks did not falter in their levitation.

"Visions of the future are not set," he replied. "It is always in motion. One simple action or reaction can change events and the course of things to come."

"Then what good is a vision of the future if it's something that we cannot predict?" she asked.

"Such visions are not meant to show us what will happen but to serve as a guide. By showing us one possible outcome we can use this knowledge to choose our actions. Not so much as to alter or change events we have seen but to better understand the decisions we make and how they can affect events around us."

"Have you tried to change things you have seen? Tried to avoid a vision's revelation?" she asked innocently.

"I have," he replied. "It was actually not that long ago I made such a decision." He grew quiet.

"Did it work?" she asked finally opening her eyes and looking him. The rocks and stones fell to the ground. "Were you able to change the things you saw in your vision?"

Daneel turned his head to look at her. "Not at all. I made a decision I thought would completely change what I saw."

"And?"

"And others made decisions that if fact made my vision come to pass," he replied with a slight smile. "What I thought I was doing to avoid such an outcome if fact made it become a reality. So the lesson I learned is that trying to predict the future events we see and making decisions we think might change such events can in fact make them come about. Therefore we should use these visions not as a decision-making tool but as a better understanding of what is happening around us. Do not try to avoid an unpleasant event or produce one we desire, simply understand what could possibly be and be at peace with whatever may happen."

"That is completely confusing," she said closing her eyes and turning her head back to face before her.

"We have time to explore it further," he said looking ahead of him. "It is something I still struggle to understand myself and I am a master of the Order. For now focus on opening your mind and stretching out with your feelings. Sense the abundance of life about you…the closer you come to becoming a conduit for the Force the further away you can feel other beings. In time you may even sense those on the other side of the world…those close to you and important to your life."

He her heard gasp and looked towards her. 'I…I feel…I feel animals…and fish…birds in the sky…I can feel them!"

"Stay calm," he said quietly. "Calm your feelings…that's it…calm and at peace…passive…allow the Force to flow through you."

She breathed deeply. Her face was a blank slate void of expression. Suddenly her eyes popped open and she gasped again. "I felt something…something dark…something…angry."

* * *

Sitting before a small campfire Selene perused the holo-map of the region around her. Decades ago her father had finally mapped out the continent of Northrend. She wasn't sure yet what she was looking for, but in her gut she felt there was one more thing to do in Northrend before heading south to find the jedi. Suddenly she dropped the holo display and gasped. "Not possible," she growled. "I killed that girl…I know I did." But in her mind she began to wonder if she had killed the right girl. She felt a presence touch her…one pure and young…a woman…and not the jedi. With a deep breath she stood and jumped onto her speeder sitting a few yards away. She had to be sure. Turning the speeder she sped across the landscape back to the fishing village. She had to be sure. The jedi could not be allowed to take on an apprentice. She increased the power to the speeder gaining velocity. She had to be sure.

* * *

The four travelers stood in shock just outside the edge of the small village. A camp had been set up on the edge, and it was littered with bodies. The cold delayed the onset of decay, but the faint smell of decomposition permeated the air with every breath they took. They could see no sign of life within the village itself, and with foreboding Zharn approached one of the corpses nearest them. Kitali stood a few yards back with Magnus and Windi at her sides. The orc knelt next to the body and carefully wiped some of the fresh snow from the body. His eyes widened and he jerked his head up to look towards the village.

"What is it?" Kitali asked seeing his reaction. "Can you tell what happened here? Who did this?"

Zharn growled deep in his throat. Without looking back at his wife or their companions he stood and kept looking at the village. "Stay back here. Magnus…erect an arcane shield around the three of you. I'm going down to the village to see what's there."

"Zharn…what did you see?" the draenei asked already dreading what her heart was telling her. The orc would only specifically tell the mage to erect something arcane if he felt the sith woman was close by. She started to take a step towards him. "I'm coming with you."

"No," he said turning around. "Just stay here." Kitali hesitated then stepped back and placed her hands on the shoulders of the two gnomes. "These wounds are old…probably a few days judging by the snow. I'll be alright, but I want you back here…"

"In case you're wrong," she finished for him. He closed his eyes and nodded. He started walking towards the village. "Be careful, Zharn. I love you."

He stopped and turned to smile at her. "I love you, too," he replied.

They three of them watched him in silence. Magnus erected the requested barrier, and Kitali watched nervously as the orc vanished from her sight amongst some of the houses. The bodies nearby were too much a reminder of what had happened at sea when the sith woman unleashed her lightning attack on their ship. A shiver went down her spine at the memory and the carnage afterwards. On the one body Zharn had examined she could see the familiar diagonal slash across the torso. A wound caused by a lightsaber. This massacre was committed by the mysterious sith woman…of that she had no doubt. Kitali looked back to where she had last seen her husband. In the past six months they had grown much closer than either thought possible. She loved him before the incident in space, but since she had revealed her true self to him their lives had actually grown closer and their love for each other stronger. Their love had endured that terrible secret and as she watched for him she hoped he would find nothing and they could leave this place. They could return to a life where there was just the two of them. But the longer she stood there with the two gnomes and no sign of his returning she grew more worried that something bad was happening or about to happen. Suddenly Zharn came running from around one of the houses. He had a look of pure terror on his face. Kitali's heart dropped as she saw the sith woman following close behind him on a speeder similar to Daneel's.

"Open a portal, Magnus," Zharn shouted waving his arms as he ran. "Open one to anywhere! Just get out of here!"

The orc was only yards away from them when the woman jumped from the speeder. Her black robes fluttered in the air as she launched herself into a deadly attack on the orc. The red blade of a lightsaber ignited in midair and with a wide swing it came down across the orc's back. His arms flailed as he fell forward. Selene landed on her feet just behind the stricken shaman. A feral smile crossed her face as she spotted the draenei ahead of her. She had come to the village to confirm she had killed the correct human mage, but after searching through the mages' belongings discovered she had not. Anger boiled to rage as she stepped from the lower decks of the ship, but was soon replaced by anticipation as she saw the orc walking through the village. She recognized him instantly as one of those people very close to the jedi. Now here also was another of the man's closest friends. Two victims in the same day…she could not think of a better turn of events after the discovery of her failure in causing the death of the possible jedi apprentice. The speeder slowed to a stop behind her and just a few yards away from the scene.

"Zharn!" the draenei screamed as she saw him fall. She started to step away from the protective arcane barrier, but the quick thinking gnomes grabbed her legs tripping her. She fell forward with arms outstretched reaching for her beloved…tears running down her cheeks. "ZHARN!"

Grimacing, the orc clawed at the ground trying to pull himself towards his wife. Selene stood above him with her blade in her right hand. She looked down at the orc's hands as he grabbed dirt and snow trying to crawl away from her. His lower body was limp and useless in his attempt at escape from his attacker. With her red eyes she looked at the draenei reaching out for him. She spotted a ring on her finger, and looking back at the orc's hand saw the corresponding ring on his. A wicked smile crossed the elven sith's face. The woman was franticly trying to reach her mate. She realized she could do something far worse than just killing this woman who was a friend of the jedi…someone he cared for. She could make this woman suffer. She thought of her own pain she was forced to endure over the past millennium. Seeing her own husband change from the pure perfection of a red sith into a green abomination. The years she struggled to find a cure to save him with no success. Looking at him trapped in that stasis chamber day after day…year after year…century after century…until all hope was lost. It was the jedi who caused all of her suffering. They had hunted the sith to the fringes of the galaxy seeking to exterminate all sith…all of her people. The desperation they felt hiding on that frozen rock waiting for the jedi to finally catch up to them. The elation they felt when Sargeras offered them salvation only to realize later they were rewarded only with broken promises and lies. Looking at the draenei woman before her…pleading with her…trying desperately to reach her spouse…she decided that this woman would share the same pain she felt…know the same fear…the same sense of hopelessness…live the same nightmare.

"This is too perfect," Selene purred. "The two of you are wedded." She took a step forward. Her tongue rolling along her teeth as she savored the pain the woman was feeling…a feeling she knew all too well. Her initial attack had caught the orc across the shoulder blades cleanly severing his spinal cord and paralyzing the man below his arms…he could not escape the inevitable. With her foot she kicked the man over onto his back. Even though his lower body was limp and useless he still struggled to reach his woman. His massive chest heaving with each breath he exerted just to touch the woman's outstretched hand towards him.

"Please…let him go!" Kitali pleaded looking up at Selene. "Please!" She looked back at the orc. He strained to look at his wife. He reached an arm towards her. Kitali looked at him straining harder to reach him. The gnome inventor struggled desperately trying to keep her inside the arcane shield…a shield that protected them from any possible Force attack from the sith woman. "Zharn," she sobbed.

The sith knelt down on her left leg and looked down at the orc. "I have sworn vengeance against the jedi and all those he cares about." She looked up at the draenei with her eyes. "But I think for you I have changed my mind." She brought the lightsaber up and pointed the blade at the stomach of the orc…down and upwards towards his head.

"No…please…no," Kitali pleaded through sobs and shaking her head. "Please don't do this! He is no danger to you!"

"I will spare your life and instead replace it with pain," Selene answered. She inched the blade into Zharn's abdomen causing him to scream in agony. He reached down for the blade but only managed to cut off his fingers as they contacted the pure energy of the blade. He then tried to punch the elven sith, but she laughed as she leaned back just out of his reach. He was helpless to stop the agonizing and torturous death the sith planned for him. The blade inched further into his body as she worked it slowly into his stomach and towards his heart. She watched the draenei woman struggle to reach her man as the lightsaber slowly preceded causing increasing pain and agony for her victim. His life was over, but the woman would remember this day for the rest of her life. She would relive this nightmare day after day and year after year. Pleading with her through sobs the draenei was feeling a torment beyond her wildest imagination…and Selene felt elated.

Kitali strained to reach her husband as he continued crying out in agony. She couldn't see through the tears that flooded her eyes. Windi was still behind her holding her legs and keeping her inside the protective arcane sphere as Magnus worked on a spell to open a portal. "Zharn," she said as her voice wavered. Only one more foot and she could touch him.

"You will live the rest of your days feeling the same pain I have endured for over a thousand years," Selene said to the shaman as she lay helpless to stop the killing blow. The blade inched ever more slowly into the orc's body. "You will suffer in torment as you watch your beloved die a slow death knowing there is nothing you can do to save him. You will have the love of your life ripped away from you just as I had. You will suffer as I have suffered." She never took her eyes from the draenei as the blade pierced the man's diaphragm causing him to cough up blood. His arms went limp as his head thrashed from side to side. His breath now just bubbling gurgles of blood as his insides were destroyed by the blade of the sith's lightsaber moving slowly further into his body…severing organs. His body began to shutdown as the blade began to pierce his heart. "You will live in pain…that is my punishment for you," Selene said sneering as Zharn's life expired.

With a final quick thrust the tip of the blade exited through the orc's head. Kitali collapsed on the ground…her body wracked with sorrow. The elven sith withdrew the blade from the orc's lifeless body then stood and extinguished her blade. The portal Magus was casting finally opened, but it was too late…much too late. Zharn lay dead just inches from Kitali's outstretched and limp hand as she herself shutdown no longer caring what happened. The person she loved and cared for the most was gone. Selene looked down at the grieving widow smiling to herself and the suffering she had caused. She licked her lips and grinned at the draenei…an almost feral look of a predator playing with its prey. Turning away she walked casually to her speeder. With a look back she said, "Tell your jedi friend that the daughter has returned. Tell him I will have my vengeance on the jedi for all they have done to me." She jumped onto her speeder and raced away from the village leaving the grieving and dead behind.


	15. The Final Confrontation

**_Part Fifteen: The Final Confrontation_**

Daneel raced across the frozen plain. Never had a vision been as clear, vivid, and detailed as the one that showed him the death of his friend. As soon as Celeste mentioned she sensed something dark and angry the vision came to him with a jolt. Using the Force to augment his speed he ran to the village immediately after the vision had finished. He found Demira walking on the edge of the gnome compound, and without explanation demanded she open a portal to their home in Eversong Woods. He instructed her to make the portal large and keep it open for his return. Then since he would not be stopping he told her to open another portal to the base near their home and search for the medical supplies they had stashed there after cleaning up the carnage left by Kitali and Zharn months ago. He specifically told her to look for those supplies marked with the word 'kolto' and to return to the compound. Demira, sensing an urgency in the jedi, did not question her husband and opened the portal as he asked. Celeste ran up to them just before the jedi left, and his only instruction to her was to keep the path from the portal and out of the compound clear of all traffic. She started to question Daneel about what was happening, but a stern look from Demira had silenced the jedi apprentice. The mage knew that when he got into a mode as his demeanor suggested something bad was happening or about to happen and it was not a time for a barrage of questions from either her or the padawan. Once through the portal he found the Aratech Ice speeder parked by their back deck. It was the fastest of the speeders at their disposal, and after powering it up he raced back through the portal and the compound without stopping. At over two hundred kilometers per hour the speeder would get him to the village in minutes. He hoped he could reach it in time to avoid what he had seen.

* * *

The four travelers stood in shock just outside the edge of the small village. A camp had been set up on the edge, and it was littered with bodies. The cold delayed the onset of decay, but the faint smell of decomposition permeated the air with every breath they took. They could see no sign of life within the village itself, and with foreboding Zharn approached one of the corpses nearest them. Kitali stood a few yards back with Magnus and Windi at her sides. The orc knelt next to the body and carefully wiped some of the fresh snow from it. His eyes widened and he jerked his head up to look towards the village.

"What is it?" Kitali asked seeing his reaction. "Can you tell what happened here? Who did this?"

Zharn growled deep in his throat. Without looking back at his wife or their companions he stood and kept looking at the village. "Stay back here. Magnus…erect an arcane shield around the three of you. I'm going down to the village to see what's there."

"Zharn…what did you see?" the draenei asked already dreading what her heart was telling her. The orc would only specifically tell the mage to erect something arcane if he felt the sith woman was close by. She started to take a step towards him. "I'm coming with you."

"No," he said turning around. "Just stay here." Kitali hesitated then stepped back and placed her hands on the shoulders of the two gnomes. "These wounds are old…probably a few days judging by the snow and the smell. I'll be alright, but I want you back here…"

"In case you're wrong," she finished for him. He closed his eyes and nodded. He started walking towards the village. "Be careful, Zharn. I love you."

He stopped and turned to smile at her. "I love you, too," he replied.

The three of them watched him in silence. Magnus erected the requested barrier, and Kitali watched nervously as the orc vanished from her sight amongst some of the houses. The bodies nearby were too much a reminder of what had happened at sea when the sith woman unleashed her lightning attack on their ship. A shiver went down her spine at the memory and the carnage afterwards. On the one body Zharn had examined she could see the familiar diagonal slash across the torso. A wound caused by a lightsaber. This massacre was committed by the mysterious sith woman…of that she had no doubt. Kitali looked back to where she had last seen her husband. In the past six months they had grown much closer than either thought possible. She loved him before the incident in space, but since she had revealed her true self to him their lives had actually grown closer and their love for each other stronger. Their love had endured that terrible secret and as she watched for him she hoped he would find nothing and they could leave this place. They could return to a life where there was just the two of them. But the longer she stood there with the two gnomes and no sign of his returning she grew more worried that something bad was happening or about to happen. Suddenly Zharn came running from around one of the houses. He had a look of pure terror on his face. Kitali's heart dropped as she saw the sith woman following close behind him on a speeder similar to Daneel's.

"Open a portal, Magnus," Zharn shouted waving his arms as he ran. "Open one to anywhere! Just get out of here!"

The orc was only yards away from them when the woman jumped from the speeder. Her black robes fluttered in the air as she launched herself into a deadly attack on the orc. The red blade of a lightsaber ignited in midair and with a wide swing it came down across the orc's back. His arms flailed as he fell forward. Selene landed on her feet just behind the stricken shaman. A feral smile crossed her face as she spotted the draenei ahead of her. The speeder slowed to a stop behind her and just a few yards away from the scene. Zharn clawed at the ground trying to escape the sith woman. Her blade had cut him across the back of his shoulders and all he could feel below that was a slight tingling. He could not move his legs and his arms felt weak.

"ZHARN!" Barely able to hear the scream above the whine of the sith's speeder and the ringing in his ears from the fall, he looked up to see Kitali sprawled on the ground trying to reach him. His love…he stretched out his hand to touch her…felt a pang in his heart at the expression mixed of fear and anguish etched on her perfectly beautiful face. He knew these might well be his last moments on this world, and all he wanted was to touch her one last time.

"This is too perfect," Selene purred. "The two of you are wedded." Her attention was so focused on the pair before her that she never heard the whine of a second speeder or sensed the jedi riding towards her. She licked her lips like a predator about to feed when she was suddenly thrown through the air by something powerful. Her right shoulder struck the ground with an audible pop as the joint dislocated and she tumbled over several times before coming to a rest on her side. Groaning, she lifted her head to look back at her intended victims. Surprise quickly boiled to rage as she saw the jedi standing between her and her prey with his green bladed lightsaber ignited at his side.

"Magnus," the jedi said not looking back at the others. "Open a portal back to the compound. Get Zharn and the others out of this place. Demira will be there with a means to heal his wounds."

"It's…it's…" Kitali stammered behind him as she and Windi tried to carry the orc into the protective sphere of arcane energy. Magnus' portal began to appear in the air not far from them.

"I know who she is," Daneel replied. Selene slowly climbed to her feet several yards away…her right arm hanging limply at her side. "I will deal with her. You concentrate on getting your husband back to the safety of the compound. Demira and Celeste are there waiting for you."

* * *

"What happened to make him so urgent?" Demira asked the padawan as they emerged from the portal back into the gnome compound carrying a crate full of kolto medpacs they had retrieved from the base in Eversong Woods.

"We were talking about visions," Celeste answered. "And then he was teaching me how to reach out through the Force to sense other beings." The portal disappeared as it closed behind them. "I sensed something very dark…"

Demira looked at the padawan. "Something dark? Like a person?"

"Yeah. But this person was very angry. Then next thing I know he's running down the hill faster than I can see. I tried to follow, but he was just to fast."

"And nothing else happened? He didn't say anything or give any hint at what bothered him?"

"Nothing," the padawan replied. "I hope it wasn't something I said or did. I want to learn what he can teach me. He seems very wise and I don't want to disappoint him. I did that too much to Magnus."

Demira smiled at the younger woman. "I am sure it was nothing you did," she said trying to reassure the apprentice. "But maybe he sensed the same person you did. He is very powerful in the Force and if you felt this person was angry he may have sensed something more…menacing…something that definitely compelled him to act quickly."

They set the crate down on the ground near a small building and stood looking at each other. Thoughts raced through Demira's mind as she imagined what had happened next. For years the jedi had tried to tell her about the intricacies of Force visions, but after the incident in space he had stopped trying to understand them himself. After doing what he thought would change events, and learning what she had done with the two shamans he concluded he did not know enough about visions and could only accept them when they occurred without trying to second-guess what actions he should take. The mage surmised that his lesson to this padawan must have triggered one for him…one that unsettled him greatly. She opened her mouth to tell Celeste just this when a portal opened nearby. They both turned and saw on the other side the gnome mage concentrating on maintaining the portal while his sister and the draenei were dragging an injured Zharn through it. The orc's grimacing face told the mage he was in great pain, and judging by the way the two women were dragging him he could not use his legs. Behind them stood Daneel facing an elven woman and Demira recognized her as the same woman from the ship days before. His lightsaber was ignited at his side. Once the other three were through and in the compound the mage followed as the portal closed behind him.

"What's going on?" Demira asked as she rushed forward to help with carrying Zharn. Celeste followed her saying nothing. "Was that the sith woman from before?"

"Yes," Kitali answered with tears running down her cheeks. "When we got to the village we found bodies everywhere. Zharn went in to investigate. She killed everyone in the village. She attacked Zharn and was going to kill him and then us. He's hurt really bad." Demira relieved Windi who was struggling to help carry the large man. The diminutive woman kept quiet apparently shaken by what she had seen. Once she was clear after Demira took her place she walked to the side with her brother trying to stay out of the way of the two larger women and the apprentice. They lay Zharn face down near the building. He grimaced and looked up at his wife and attempted a smile. "Daneel arrived just in time to save us." She knelt down next to the orc and held his hand. "I don't know what to do. This injury on his back is more than I know how to heal."

"I can't feel my legs," the orc said painfully. "And my back feels like it's on fire."

Demira knelt beside the orc and cut away the remnants of his shaman style robes to examine the wound. It was caused by a lightsaber and she was almost certain it had cut his spine. How deep and how extensive she did not know. That he couldn't feel his legs she took as very bad, but still having pain near the cut gave her hope that his spine wasn't completely severed. With luck his lack of sensation in his lower body was only temporary and could be healed and not lead to paralysis. Either way at least he was still alive. Seeing her husband standing between them and the woman sent a shiver down her spine. His sense of urgency when he left was now painfully clear and more than anything Demira wanted to be by his side. But as much as she wanted that, the man laying before her needed her attention. Daneel foresaw this, she realized, and was why he sent her back to the base to get the medical supplies. She looked up at the padawan who was staring in awe where the portal had been. "Celeste…get me some of those packs out of the crate," she said calmly. The padawan didn't respond. "Celeste!"

"Yes?" she said finally looking at the mage with wide eyes. The padawan was clearly in shock by what she had witnessed. Doubtless she had never seen a lightsaber and had just observed her new master about to face off against an unknown foe who apparently was able to send a master mage and two powerful shamans running…and one of those an orc who was grievously injured.

Demira pointed to the crate. "Please get me some of the medpacs we brought through my portal." Celeste nodded and hurried to the crate. The mage looked back at Kitali who was now lying on the ground beside her husband. He was grimacing in pain but still did not moan aloud. They were looking into each other's faces as she was trying her best to comfort him. "I think Daneel foresaw what was happening and told us to get what we might need. To be honest I don't know if these will work on his wound, but Daneel told us to specifically get these packs that came from his home galaxy. I know they used this stuff for healing purposes, but beyond that I just have to trust his judgment."

"Do what you can," Zharn answered. Kitali simply nodded in agreement with her husband. She had bundled the outer robe of her shaman attire and placed it under Zharn's head. Kitali was shivering but from the cold or her nerves at seeing her husband in pain and possibly paralyzed Demira was uncertain. Celeste returned with the medpacs and Demira looked at the orc before applying the first dosage. He nodded at the mage to proceed before looking back at his adoring wife. He tried to smile to her.

"I'm not sure what I am doing, Zharn. I'm not a healer so this may end up being a waste of time," Demira said quietly. "I've never used this stuff or seen what it can do. You may never feel your legs or walk again and this may also hurt like hell…I just wanted you to know before I started."

"Daneel already saved my life and that is enough," the orc replied between painful gasps. "When I felt the blade cut me and I fell I was certain I was going to die." He squeezed Kitali's hand as she smiled at him through tears. "Even if it doesn't work I will still be eternally grateful to him for giving me this time to spend with my wife." To Kitali he said, "No matter what happens…I'll still be able hold you in my arms." Demira nodded silently as she applied the kolto to his wound.

* * *

The elven sith glared at the jedi as the portal closed behind him leaving them alone. The cold breeze whistled in the air as the jedi's brown robes fluttered behind him. He stood stoically looking at her and if he had eyes she imagined he would be simply an epitome of calmness. 'Typical jedi,' she thought. His lightsaber held in his right hand with the green blade pointed towards the ground. Her own lightsaber had extinguished its blade when she was thrown by his Force push and now lay on the ground several feet to her right. The wind blew her hair across her face and partially over her eyes obscuring her vision, but that was the least of her concerns. A sharp pain stabbed at her shoulder causing her entire right arm to throb. She tried to lift it, but the joint was far too displaced leaving the limb dangling limp to her side and virtually useless. In a physical duel she would be at a great disadvantage, but she was sith and the Force was hers to control. She would not need her physical prowess to defeat this man. About fifty yards away was the burning wreckage of their speeders. His had collided with hers as he jumped off to push her away from his friends. Small bits of the debris littered the ground around them burning small fires in the snow. Selene was so close to eliminating the orc and the draenei woman. She inwardly cursed for her lack of concentration. She had focused too much on the prize and forgot to remain aware of her surroundings. The jedi had surprised her and now her prey was gone…removed from her grasp. Now only she and this man remained…the rest were gone. She hated this man above all others. He was a jedi. He was responsible for all the pain and suffering she had endured for the past thirteen hundred years. Sneering at the man she raised her good left arm. Force lightning crackled at her fingertips and then arced across the distance from her to the jedi. He didn't smile, didn't act surprised, didn't waver…he simply put his left hand up and absorbed the lighting attack. She growled and through the Force lifted a chunk of the burning speeder wreckage and hurled it towards him.

"I know who you are, Selene," he called out as he sidestepped to his left. The burning projectile flew past him leaving him unscathed. He began circling towards her. She countered with a slight turn of her body to protect her injured right arm. "It took me a while to figure it out, but now I understand what your father was doing this entire time on Azeroth."

"You know nothing!" she retorted. How could he know? She reached out with her left hand and from the ground the lightsaber sprung to her. The crimson blade ignited almost immediately. Her Force attacks had failed against him and Selene knew this would become a duel with lightsabers…something that at present she was at a distinct disadvantage. She expected the jedi to react to her boldness in light of her obvious injury, but he didn't. The irritating man just continued to face her slowly walking to his left…circling with her.

"I know that twelve of you transferred a part of your essence into twelve crystals. These crystals were in a amulet in an attempt to recreate the work of Karness Muur. But you failed."

"Ancient history that no longer matters," she hissed. The fool Tareesha had let this man…the mortal enemy of all sith…learn of their plans. Not only had the traitor allowed natives to learn of the sith plans for this world, but apparently now the jedi knew as well.

"One of those sith lords was you, Selene. When I destroyed the amulet one crystal was missing…yours." They still countered each other each taking one slow step to their left after another. "I didn't know whose crystal was missing or why or how or when." He stopped and faced her directly. "All this time after learning what your father did…trying to clone your body I never could understand why he was so obsessed with his work. Anyone who had dealt with clones knows that the essence of the person is not transferred to the clone…so making clones of you would never truly bring you back to him…so why keep trying?"

"Perhaps he simply loved his daughter," Selene replied squaring off to face the jedi. "I would not expect an unfeeling jedi to ever understand family dynamics." This man was intelligent…she would give him that. But what he knew or how would soon no longer matter. She would crush him.

"Or perhaps he always knew he could bring you back. With your crystal and your essence within he could perfect the body free of the taint of Sargeras and then move your essence into it. But was that his plan or yours?"

"It no longer matters," Selene retorted. Anger swelled within her. How could he know all of this? Even Tareesha was never fully aware of all that she and her father had schemed over the centuries. So how could this man know? Her father was now a part of her and she knew he never told the jedi of their plans. She felt naked in front of her nemesis. How much about her did he know? Did he know about her husband? Did he know about anguish she felt watching each attempt at creating a clone meet with failure and the despair she felt that she would never be whole again? Did he delight in the suffering she endured? The anger boiled to rage as she remembered that he was a jedi and the jedi were the reason everything had gone wrong. It was the fault of the jedi that she was no longer truly herself. It was his fault that she had no hope of ever gaining her true self or the pureblooded sith perfection of the Force she had been. "Thanks to you that will no longer be a possibility. When you destroyed the ship and the island there was nothing left of my old body to recreate a new one."

"So what happened to this woman?" he asked. "Was she some poor helpless stranger who just happened to find your crystal? Or did you enslave her from the beginning so you could steal her body?"

"Thinking of trying to save her, jedi?" Selene mocked. "Don't bother. This body is now mine."

"I already know the woman is gone," he replied drawing a shocked look from her. "I met with a sith lord named Terrak Morrhage who had similarly possessed another. Both could be sensed through the Force, but in you I can tell the woman whose body you now possess no longer exists. If I sensed her I would have already shielded her from you."

"You would have failed," she scoffed.

"Tell that to the six jedi I released from Morrhage's control," he answered with a smile.

With a growl she leapt at the jedi swinging her blade at his head. He ducked to the side and parried with a downward slash to her right. She stumbled and spun to face him holding her lightsaber across her body. He reached out with his left hand and she felt the push through the Force. This time she was prepared, however, and her feet slid only inches in the snow and dirt. She jumped towards him and somersaulted over his head and swung her blade at his throat as she passed behind his head. The jedi spun on his right heal and blocked her attack. The clash of blades sparked in the chilled air. She landed a few feet behind him and swung around in a cartwheel bringing her blade in a downward slash intended to cut him from his left shoulder to his right hip, but again he blocked her attack and parried with a thrust at her weakened arm. She staggered and stepped away from the jedi holding her lightsaber before her like a shield.

"You are injured," he said squaring to face her. His green blade again pointed down and to his right as when she first saw him. "You cannot win this. Give up your hatred."

"Hatred is all I have left," she hissed as she lunged at him again. He blocked her attack and spun to attack her injured right side. Compensating for her injury she sidestepped to her left making him miss and then pivoted on her heel to bring her blade up towards the back of his neck. Her blade swung at nothing as he rolled and countered low attacking her leg. The tip of his blade cut across her right thigh causing her to howl in pain. Dropping back she faced him again with her left side to him and protecting her weakened right side. She tried to put weight on the injured leg, but the cut was too deep and it would not support her weight.

"You cannot defeat me!" she spat at him. Anger and rage continued to build inside her. This should not be happening. She cannot lose to this man. Cannot fail in the sith's revenge against the jedi. "I am a dark lord of the sith. A pureblood perfection of the Force's ultimate manifestation!"

Daneel turned to face her with his blade pointed towards the ground. "You may have been sith once, but that is not a sith body you now possess. I do not believe you control it as fully as you think."

"I am more in control than you know," she replied. She reached within herself to draw upon the power of her father's ghost. She felt his power course within her adding to her own. Doubling her power she would overcome the failings of this weak elven body. Her father was wrong, it was not as powerful as a sith body. It was that of an alien native and inferior in every way to a pureblood sith. Outwardly her body took on a purple glow. The jedi stepped back as the power of the two ghosts within the body grew. She lifted from the ground to levitate a foot above it. Her arms outstretched to her sides seemingly ignorant of the injury to the shoulder. She laughed maniacally. "I have more power than you can imagine. With my father's power added to my own I am invincible!" Force lighting swirled around her fingertips on her right hand and along the blade held in her left hand. She would show this jedi what true power was. She would unleash the full potential of the dark side upon him.

"You father's power?" Daneel asked. "Did you bind his ghost to you?"

"I have indeed," she replied glaring at him. Her body slowly lowered to the ground. She felt vibrant and more alive than ever since taking over this elven woman's body. The pain of her shoulder and leg were gone…erased from her mind by the sheer power she commanded. She should have done this in the beginning…shown this jedi her full potential instead of letting him goad her into a mere contest of mortals. "And now I will unleash my full power upon you!" The purple glow intensified around her body and her eyes became purple glowing orbs.

Daneel stepped further away from the sith woman. "You do know that Force Walking more than one ghost to a body is fatal? It proves to be more power than any body can handle."

"But I have only bound the one," she laughed. The fool was trying to trick her…to delay the inevitable. He was trying to plea for his life. She would make him pay in the most excruciating way she could imagine. She stretched her arms forward. "Now feel the full power of the dark side, jedi." The power inside her continued to build. Suddenly she doubled over and the outward glow intensified further. She fell to her hands and knees gasping as the lightsaber's crimson blade extinguished. Looking up at the jedi her brow furrowed. As soon as the dark side power had reached a crescendo within, her body screamed at her in agony. Now it was all she could manage to keep from literally flying apart. Her body was on the verge of collapse and mentally she felt stretched thin. She was losing control of her own mind and body and she felt suddenly powerless to stop it. "How can this be?"

Daneel looked dispassionately down at the fallen woman. "You bound yourself to this body as well," he stated. "That means there are actually two ghosts bound to this body…a non-Force sensitive body…one that is ill-suited and ill-prepared for such raw Force energies. Binding multiple ghosts to one fully trained in the Force is ultimately fatal as both the body and the mind are torn asunder. But to do so in a body that is alien to such energies and untrained…I am surprised you have lasted even this long."

"How would you know?" she asked as her breathing became labored. The glow around her body lessened and her eyes returned to the red color of a sith. "Jedi do not bind ghosts."

"You are right, we do not," he replied calmly. "But your father knew of the ritual of Forcewalking. He left that knowledge and much more at the base in Eversong Woods…a base that now is under my control. All that he left behind there I now possess. It's how I learned initially of your plans with the amulet and the rakghoul plague."

"And about me? How did you know?"

"The difference between the jedi and the sith has always been how we perceive our existence in the Force. The sith have always tried to use it…control it…use their passions to try and wield it. The jedi instead allow the Force to flow through us…never to manipulate it to our desire as do the sith."

"Nonsense," she rasped. "Typical jedi nonsense."

"Ok," he said kneeling down. She tried to look back at him as her breathing became more labored. "I saw it in a vision given to me by the Force. It's how I knew where to find you and stop you before you killed my friends. The Force grants us such things when we are at peace."

"Peace is a lie," she said as her head lowered. She no longer had the energy to hold it up to look at the man she still despised even in this her final moment. She felt herself slipping more and more as each second passed.

"And yet here I am and there you are," he said without mirth. "Embrace the light before you become one with the Force. Take this last chance to find peace."

"Never," she replied between struggling breaths. "I am sith. I am of the darkness."

Selene collapsed face first to the ground. Barely breathing, the purple glow began to fade from the woman. Daneel watched as the mists floated into the Northrend air and dissipated. After a few minutes the glow was gone leaving only the lifeless body of an elven woman. With a sigh he stood and walked over to plunge his lightsaber into the inactive hilt near the woman's hand sending sparks flying over it. He extinguished the blade and placed the hilt back on his belt. Pulling his hood over his head he turned around and began the lonesome walk back to the gnome compound.

* * *

Demira stood in the light of dawn near the edge of the compound looking out over the snowy plains. Her normally braided hair blew loosely in the wind as did the bottom of her red robes. The previous night as Zharn began showing signs of improvement the gnomes, many of them his friends as he had helped them all during the time of the Scourge, moved him to a bed inside one of the larger buildings. The masterful inventors had fashioned a litter so they could move him while keeping his injured back immobilized. Kitali stayed at her husband's side the entire time holding his hand and speaking softly to him, getting him food or water when he needed, and eventually both fell asleep late in the night exhausted from the events of the day and in Zharn's case Demira hoped from the healing effects of the kolto. Windi was quiet only stating once that she no longer wanted to own or create a lightsaber. As she said this Demira noticed the small woman kept staring at the wound on Zharn's back and the mage surmised the woman realized a lightsaber was more than a flashy tool but also a very dangerous and deadly weapon. Like Kitali the gnome stayed at the orc's side the whole night. She too eventually fell asleep in a chair by the orc's bed, and Demira then came outside to where she watched the empty plains now. She had stood all night in her vigil awaiting her love's return. She had felt him through the Force as she had done before when in space, but because she was not as attuned as he was she could not tell where he was or what his condition might be. She crossed her arms over her chest and sighed hoping he was unhurt. As much as she wanted to leave and find him she also knew he had intended for her to remain and watch over their friends and protect them if need be…but it was hard for her to resist the temptation to leave them all and find the missing jedi.

"Any sign of him?" Demira heard from behind her. Not looking back at the padawan approaching she simply nodded her response. The short woman walked up to join Demira in her vigil. She had worked with the gnome engineers setting up defenses should the sith woman defeat Daneel and come here to continue her killing spree as was demonstrated back at the village. Demira noticed a twinge of weariness in the apprentice's voice and she guessed the woman had been up all night as she had. "I hope he is ok."

Demira looked over at the padawan. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail and she had a couple of rips in the sleeves of her robes. She smiled thinking the former mage was wearing the robes she had brought from Dalaran while she was still training with Magnus. Daneel had not had the chance yet to fashion the young women robes like those of a jedi. "How are the defenses," she asked looking back over the empty snow field.

"As best as we can muster," Celeste replied. "But after seeing what he had to face and what the others described…I don't know if it will be enough should my master fail and that woman comes here."

"He didn't fail," Demira replied.

"How do you know?"

"Because I can sense him," the mage replied. She looked over to the jedi apprentice who was also looking at her. "If she had defeated him I would know."

"But you're not a jedi," the woman replied uncertainly.

"No," Demira replied looking back out over the field. "But we have a bond, Daneel and I. Not just in marriage, but something more…something deeper…something few people understand."

"What kind of bond?"

Demira spotted a small speck on the horizon. Smiling she looked back at the padawan. "He's coming. I can see him out there on the horizon." She pointed to where she saw Daneel walking across the plains.

Celeste put her hand over her eyes shielding them from the morning sun. "Where? I don't see anything but white snow." With a shrug of her shoulders and a deep sigh she lowered her hand and looked back at the mage. Her eyes widened at a sudden realization. "Oh…you're an elf. I forgot you see better than I can." Demira smiled and nodded. Celeste put her hand back up and looked back in the direction Demira had pointed. "So…what kind of bond?"

The mage's smile widened as she looked back out to watch her love come to her. "While we wait for him I'll tell you about how Daneel and I met…and a little about Force bonds. About how two people from across the vast distance of space…from different galaxies...different worlds…different sets of experiences…were still bonded to each other through the Force and brought together because it was destined to be."


	16. A New Jedi Order

**_Part Sixteen: A New Jedi Order_**

Daneel the jedi kneeled next to Zharn's bed who was lying on his stomach. Demira stood at the back of the room with Celeste and Windi while Kitali knelt next to her husband opposite of the jedi and was holding Zharn's hand. The kolto medpacs had healed part of his wound and there was no risk of infection where the blade of Selene's lightsaber had cut the orc across his back. What worried the jedi as well as the orc and his wife was that Zharn could still feel nothing below his arms beyond a slight tingling. Daneel's hands hovered over the wound as he reached out through the Force. Remembering some of the techniques taught to him by his fellow jedi Kai'moira, who was a master healer, he examined the damage to the orc's spine. Allowing the Force to flow through him, he attempted to mend the damage to the spinal cord that had been almost completely severed during the attack. Below his hands was a golden glow along the orc's body drawing gasps from the observers in the room. He was amazed that Zharn had any sensation at all in his lower extremities. Through him the Force mended some of the damage, but after an hour of intense meditation the jedi sat back on his heels and sighed.

"What's the prognosis?" Zharn asked. "I still don't feel any different than before."

The jedi shook his head. "Your spinal cord was not completely severed, but I was only able to strengthen what was left. I am sorry, but even with the Force I cannot completely heal the wound. I am afraid you may never walk again or feel anything differently than you do now."

"Then help sit me up. I'm tired of lying on my stomach and not seeing what is going on," the orc said with a smile. Kitali and Daneel maneuvered the shaman into a sitting position at the end of the bed against the wall. He looked around and brought his hands in front of him. The draenei and miraluka stepped back watching him as he wiggled his fingers, then flexed his arms and rolled his shoulders. "Ah…that feels better," he said with a grin. He reached out and grabbed Kitali's hand pulling her to him. She sat on the bed next to him and wrapped her arm around his neck while he wrapped his around her waist. She was still wearing the brown shaman robes from when the attack occurred the day before. "I owe you my thanks," Zharn said to the jedi. "And my life."

"You owe me nothing," Daneel replied.

"I owe you everything," he retorted. "Had you not shown up when you did I am certain that woman would have killed me and left Kit a grieving widow." He looked at her as she looked at him…their foreheads touching. "I may never walk again but I am alive and I can still hold her…still spend the rest of my days with the most beautiful and loving woman I have ever known…and that means more than anything."

"That gives me an idea," Windi said making all heads turn to look at her. She walked to the orc's side and looked him square in the face. "What you need is mobility…and I think I have just the idea to give you that." With a wide grin she patted his free hand, turned around, and ran out of the building leaving everyone staring after her.

"I wonder what she has in mind," Kitali said. She looked back at her husband and smiled. "Hopefully not something crazy like a rocket chair." They all shared a nervous laugh with the exception of Celeste, who wasn't aware yet of their past adventures with the gnome, and then they looked back where the gnome had raced out of the building. "She wouldn't really do something like that…would she?"

"Knowing Windi…I wouldn't put it past her," Zharn replied. "So…who was that woman that almost killed me?" he said changing the subject.

Daneel smiled at the orc. "I'll tell you when you have recovered more. For now I'll just say she had an old soul…and leave it at that for the time being. What you need most right now is some rest." He motioned to Demira and Celeste and they began walking towards the door. "Let's leave these two alone for a while."

Celeste followed the jedi and his wife out of the door. She glanced back to see Kitali and Zharn smiling and nuzzling each other and swore she heard him mention something about needing a blindfold and a riding crop followed by her giggling. Despite what had happened they were happy to be alive and together. The padawan felt a warmth in her chest seeing such happiness in the sight of adversity. Their life would be difficult because of the injury he had suffered, but she was certain they would manage somehow. She walked out the door and scanned the immediate area for her master. It had only been a few seconds but she spotted him with Demira sitting on some crates against an adjacent building. Her arms were around him and her head was on his shoulder…eyes closed. Daneel's right arm was around her waist and his head leaned against hers…both of them sound asleep. Celeste grinned. That couple had been through much the past day and with a yawn the padawan empathized with their exhaustion. She herself had been up almost two days straight without sleep, but at the moment was not tired. Perhaps some mediation might help her relax and get some much needed sleep, so she decided to head for the hill she went to with her master every day since she became his apprentice.

As she walked through the compound, Celeste noticed much of the daily routines of the gnomes had returned to normal. Upon his return Daneel had informed the leaders that the danger was past and the threat from the elven woman was gone. The sound of machinery and tinkering hammers moved from preparations of defenses for the compound to the various inventions these gnomes came to Northrend to perfect or create anew. She thought about looking up her former teacher, but remembered that Magnus had left for Dalaran after learning from the jedi the fate of the other mages they were supposed to meet on this continent. It was only days ago she had left his tutelage for that of the jedi Daneel. With his guidance she discovered powers she thought she could never possess. As she walked through the compound she glanced at the ground and spotted a small stone. Smiling, she reached out her hand and through the Force snatched the stone and continued walking as she levitated it over her palm. This simple trick from when she was a child had become so difficult in recent years while she trained to be a mage and now was a simple thing yet again.

Exiting the compound she stopped and looked at the small hill in the distance. Such a strange world this jedi had come from. He had told her of many things she dared imagined even possible. Until the previous day she thought the man used parables to teach her the ways of the Force, but after seeing the woman through Magnus' portal and the wound on the orc's back, she realized that the jedi had told her many truths. As she resumed walking towards the hill she remembered seeing the green blade at his side. The hilt at his waist she had seen and he had even told her what it was, but she had never seen it until he faced the woman they called sith. A lightsaber. He told her that as her training progressed and her command of the Force grew stronger she would one day craft her own lightsaber. 'Crafting one is a test that all jedi must undertake,' he had told her. 'Only then will you be a fully trained jedi knight.' The prospect both frightened and exhilarated her. Jedi Knight. Knight. Mages cast spells and wielded magic in battles but rarely if ever were on the front lines wielding a sword like soldiers and warriors. But a jedi was both of these. Through the Force they wielded magics unlike those seen on Azeroth, but with the lightsaber they were also warriors. No…not warriors…they were protectors. Knights but much more. She had seen her master try to heal another…protected his friends from danger as they escaped…and faced what must have been a terrifying opponent. Celeste stopped at the top of the hill and sat down to begin meditating.

"The sith are no more on this world," the jedi had told Demira when he returned to the compound that morning. "Finally the danger of their kind has been cleansed. No longer will Azeroth be threatened them."

"But what about what they left behind?" his wife had asked. "What of their teachings…their technologies…their possible descendents? What if one of them discovers what they are and where they came from? What if they fall to the dark side?"

Celeste looked at the jedi remembering that first day on the hill…her first day of instruction…when he had told her of her heritage. She couldn't imagine her ancestors came from another world…another galaxy. But since then she had realized the truth in what he had told her. When the mage voiced her concerns Celeste felt those same notions echoed within her.

"Celeste is the first of a new jedi order on this world," Daneel had replied. "I told Maktai I would never begin such on this world, but I have learned since then that perhaps one is needed." He then looked at her and smiled. "But not as it is where I come from. On Azeroth we will not be involved with the political struggles of this world nor will we be at the center of every conflict. We will be discreet. Our goal will be to find those secrets left behind by the sith and to keep them hidden and safe from those who call this world their home."

Celeste closed her eyes and reached out through the Force as her master had taught her. Perhaps there were other Force sensitives on this world and then again perhaps not, but if they did find others…others like her…then she would gladly help Daneel teach them as he was teaching her. She felt a comfort in that thought. Finally she felt she had found her place in this world. She stretched out further towards the compound. She sensed Daneel and Demira as they slept away their exhaustion in each other's arms. Windi Weathergear was tinkering away on a new idea or invention for Zharn. And there was Zharn and Kitali. They too had fallen asleep in each other's arms. All five of them were calm and at peace in their own way. Inwardly Celeste smiled. She had been thrust into strange circumstances but with a hopeful future. And the people she now was surrounded by were caring and thoughtful. They gave of themselves to help others…and this pleased her. Breathing calmly she reached out further in the Force. Life was present all around her. Birds flew in the air and creatures hunting for food all along the landscape. Suddenly her eyes opened as she gasped. Just the day before as she had done this exercise she had felt a strong dark presence filled with anger. After Daneel's defeat of the sith woman both of them felt certain she was that dark presence that Celeste had felt. But now…just this moment….Celeste felt it again. Not a different presence…it was the same…

* * *

Deep in the southern part of Kalimdor near Silithus a pair of druids approached a remote cave. Around the mouth of the cave were twisted and gnarled roots of a long dead tree that framed the entrance into the dark. In fact for several hundred yards in all directions of this cave nature was dead. Both druids sensed the absence of life in the area and shivered at the thought of what could have caused such a calamity. To their knowledge only places touched by the Burning Legion were scarred like this.

"Sometin's not right here, mon," the woman said as she grabbed the horns of her helm and removed it. It matched the rest of the violet Lasherweave attire she wore. Shaking her dark red hair loose, the troll looked at her companion. The moons' light cast eerie shadows on the ground around them. Her normally dark blue skin paled in the light, but then everything seemed bleached around the cave. "Sometin sinister be at work here. There be notin' alive…notin' at all. Even the silithids avoid dis place."

The tauren beside her looked up towards the top of the dead tree. The green parts of his Moonglade raiment shone in the moonlight. Both of the druids had sensed the lifeless area as they flew over in avian form. They stopped to investigate such an anomaly in an otherwise lively yet hostile area. "It's like the Blasted Lands around the Dark Portal," he replied to his partner. "But unlike that place where there is still some life I sense nothing here…nothing at all."

"Ya supposin' there be another Dark Portal inside da cave?" she asked.

The tauren only shook his shoulders. Like her he did not have the slightest inkling of an answer. "The only way to know is to go inside and find out," he answered.

The woman replaced her helm and alongside the tauren they approached the entrance to the cave. Once inside they found it was large judging by the echo of their footfalls on the ground. It was extremely dark and they could barely make the outline of each other until finally they could not even see their hands before their faces as they travelled further inside. After about twenty yards in there was also something beneath their feet and hooves…it crunched with each step they took. The troll reached inside her pouch and with a slight spell illuminated their immediate area with a small fire. She gasped as she looked down to see crushed bones and shells of the silithids common to the region. She looked up to say something to her partner when a huge four-fingered claw grabbed his head and ripped it from his body. She shrieked and turned to run. Another massive claw grabbed her from behind and within seconds silence followed. The small fire burned on the grisly ground.

In the darkness heavy footfalls walked away from the fire left burning, but soon a robed figure emerged into the light and looked in the direction of the retreating beast. "Well done, my pet," the male voice said. "Well done indeed." In the being's hand was an unlit torch. Reaching out with it towards the flame on the ground the fire suddenly leapt through the air igniting the torch. He turned and walked the opposite direction of the creature. At the back of the cave was a carved tunnel with steps leading further underground. The man walked through this tunnel for several minutes in the darkness with only his torch providing any light. The tunnel ended at the edge of a large alcove almost as large as the main cave above. The floor was amazingly smooth as the man's quiet footfalls made little echo. Suddenly the light illuminated a sarcophagus with a stone carving of a being with fleshy tentacles on his face. The weathering on the face of the sculpture had begun to erode indicating it had been created centuries before. The robed man stopped before it and pulled down his hood revealing long pale elven ears and shoulder length silver hair.

"Soon," he said to the unanswering statue. "It has taken centuries using the secrets of the dark side of the Force and sith alchemy as you had taught me, but at last the terentatek's are ready. Soon I will unleash them on Teldrassil and those calling themselves kaldorei." Several roars echoed through the cave labyrinth behind him. He turned to look back towards the sounds…and the light shone in his red highborn eyes…red with the corruption of the dark side of the Force. "Once the kaldorei are no more then I will enter Quel'thalas and claim lordship over the sin'dorei. I will show them true power…power beyond anything the Well of Eternity ever offered. The highborn will rise again! We shall rebuild Zin'Azshari! We will do this for our queen! For our beloved Azshara!"


End file.
